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• How to write an executive summary, with ...

How to write an executive summary, with examples

The best way to do that is with an executive summary. If you’ve never written an executive summary, this article has all you need to know to plan, write, and share them with your team.

What is an executive summary?

An executive summary is an overview of a document. The length and scope of your executive summary will differ depending on the document it’s summarizing, but in general an executive summary can be anywhere from one to two pages long. In the document, you’ll want to share all of the information your readers and important stakeholders need to know.

Imagine it this way: if your high-level stakeholders were to only read your executive summary, would they have all of the information they need to succeed? If so, your summary has done its job.

You’ll often find executive summaries of:

Business cases

Project proposals

Research documents

Environmental studies

Market surveys

In general, there are four parts to any executive summary:

Start with the problem or need the document is solving.

Outline the recommended solution.

Explain the solution’s value.

Wrap up with a conclusion about the importance of the work.

What is an executive summary in project management?

In project management, an executive summary is a way to bring clarity to cross-functional collaborators, team leadership, and project stakeholders . Think of it like a project’s “ elevator pitch ” for team members who don’t have the time or the need to dive into all of the project’s details.

The main difference between an executive summary in project management and a more traditional executive summary in a business plan is that the former should be created at the beginning of your project—whereas the latter should be created after you’ve written your business plan. For example, to write an executive summary of an environmental study, you would compile a report on the results and findings once your study was over. But for an executive summary in project management, you want to cover what the project is aiming to achieve and why those goals matter.

The same four parts apply to an executive summary in project management:

Start with the problem or need the project is solving.  Why is this project happening? What insight, customer feedback, product plan, or other need caused it to come to life?

Outline the recommended solution, or the project’s objectives.  How is the project going to solve the problem you established in the first part? What are the project goals and objectives?

Explain the solution’s value.  Once you’ve finished your project, what will happen? How will this improve and solve the problem you established in the first part?

Wrap up with a conclusion about the importance of the work.  This is another opportunity to reiterate why the problem is important, and why the project matters. It can also be helpful to reference your audience and how your solution will solve their problem. Finally, include any relevant next steps.

If you’ve never written an executive summary before, you might be curious about where it fits into other project management elements. Here’s how executive summaries stack up:

Executive summary vs. project plan

A  project plan  is a blueprint of the key elements your project will accomplish in order to hit your project goals and objectives. Project plans will include your goals, success metrics, stakeholders and roles, budget, milestones and deliverables, timeline and schedule, and communication plan .

An executive summary is a summary of the most important information in your project plan. Think of the absolutely crucial things your management team needs to know when they land in your project, before they even have a chance to look at the project plan—that’s your executive summary.

Executive summary vs. project overview

Project overviews and executive summaries often have similar elements—they both contain a summary of important project information. However, your project overview should be directly attached to your project. There should be a direct line of sight between your project and your project overview.

While you can include your executive summary in your project depending on what type of  project management tool  you use, it may also be a stand-alone document.

Executive summary vs. project objectives

Your executive summary should contain and expand upon your  project objectives  in the second part ( Outline the recommended solution, or the project’s objectives ). In addition to including your project objectives, your executive summary should also include why achieving your project objectives will add value, as well as provide details about how you’re going to get there.

The benefits of an executive summary

You may be asking: why should I write an executive summary for my project? Isn’t the project plan enough?

Well, like we mentioned earlier, not everyone has the time or need to dive into your project and see, from a glance, what the goals are and why they matter.  Work management tools  like Asana help you capture a lot of crucial information about a project, so you and your team have clarity on who’s doing what by when. Your executive summary is designed less for team members who are actively working on the project and more for stakeholders outside of the project who want quick insight and answers about why your project matters.

An effective executive summary gives stakeholders a big-picture view of the entire project and its important points—without requiring them to dive into all the details. Then, if they want more information, they can access the project plan or navigate through tasks in your work management tool.

How to write a great executive summary, with examples

Every executive summary has four parts. In order to write a great executive summary, follow this template. Then once you’ve written your executive summary, read it again to make sure it includes all of the key information your stakeholders need to know.

1. Start with the problem or need the project is solving

At the beginning of your executive summary, start by explaining why this document (and the project it represents) matter. Take some time to outline what the problem is, including any research or customer feedback you’ve gotten . Clarify how this problem is important and relevant to your customers, and why solving it matters.

For example, let’s imagine you work for a watch manufacturing company. Your project is to devise a simpler, cheaper watch that still appeals to luxury buyers while also targeting a new bracket of customers.

Example executive summary:

In recent customer feedback sessions, 52% of customers have expressed a need for a simpler and cheaper version of our product. In surveys of customers who have chosen competitor watches, price is mentioned 87% of the time. To best serve our existing customers, and to branch into new markets, we need to develop a series of watches that we can sell at an appropriate price point for this market.

2. Outline the recommended solution, or the project’s objectives

Now that you’ve outlined the problem, explain what your solution is. Unlike an abstract or outline, you should be  prescriptive  in your solution—that is to say, you should work to convince your readers that your solution is the right one. This is less of a brainstorming section and more of a place to support your recommended solution.

Because you’re creating your executive summary at the beginning of your project, it’s ok if you don’t have all of your deliverables and milestones mapped out. But this is your chance to describe, in broad strokes, what will happen during the project. If you need help formulating a high-level overview of your project’s main deliverables and timeline, consider creating a  project roadmap  before diving into your executive summary.

Continuing our example executive summary:

Our new watch series will begin at 20% cheaper than our current cheapest option, with the potential for 40%+ cheaper options depending on material and movement. In order to offer these prices, we will do the following:

Offer watches in new materials, including potentially silicone or wood

Use high-quality quartz movement instead of in-house automatic movement

Introduce customizable band options, with a focus on choice and flexibility over traditional luxury

Note that every watch will still be rigorously quality controlled in order to maintain the same world-class speed and precision of our current offerings.

3. Explain the solution’s value

At this point, you begin to get into more details about how your solution will impact and improve upon the problem you outlined in the beginning. What, if any, results do you expect? This is the section to include any relevant financial information, project risks, or potential benefits. You should also relate this project back to your company goals or  OKRs . How does this work map to your company objectives?

With new offerings that are between 20% and 40% cheaper than our current cheapest option, we expect to be able to break into the casual watch market, while still supporting our luxury brand. That will help us hit FY22’s Objective 3: Expanding the brand. These new offerings have the potential to bring in upwards of three million dollars in profits annually, which will help us hit FY22’s Objective 1: 7 million dollars in annual profit.

Early customer feedback sessions indicate that cheaper options will not impact the value or prestige of the luxury brand, though this is a risk that should be factored in during design. In order to mitigate that risk, the product marketing team will begin working on their go-to-market strategy six months before the launch.

4. Wrap up with a conclusion about the importance of the work

Now that you’ve shared all of this important information with executive stakeholders, this final section is your chance to guide their understanding of the impact and importance of this work on the organization. What, if anything, should they take away from your executive summary?

To round out our example executive summary:

Cheaper and varied offerings not only allow us to break into a new market—it will also expand our brand in a positive way. With the attention from these new offerings, plus the anticipated demand for cheaper watches, we expect to increase market share by 2% annually. For more information, read our  go-to-market strategy  and  customer feedback documentation .

Example of an executive summary

When you put it all together, this is what your executive summary might look like:

Common mistakes people make when writing executive summaries

You’re not going to become an executive summary-writing pro overnight, and that’s ok. As you get started, use the four-part template provided in this article as a guide. Then, as you continue to hone your executive summary writing skills, here are a few common pitfalls to avoid:

Avoid using jargon

Your executive summary is a document that anyone, from project contributors to executive stakeholders, should be able to read and understand. Remember that you’re much closer to the daily work and individual tasks than your stakeholders will be, so read your executive summary once over to make sure there’s no unnecessary jargon. Where you can, explain the jargon, or skip it all together.

Remember: this isn’t a full report

Your executive summary is just that—a summary. If you find yourself getting into the details of specific tasks, due dates, and attachments, try taking a step back and asking yourself if that information really belongs in your executive summary. Some details are important—you want your summary to be actionable and engaging. But keep in mind that the wealth of information in your project will be captured in your  work management tool , not your executive summary.

Make sure the summary can stand alone

You know this project inside and out, but your stakeholders won’t. Once you’ve written your executive summary, take a second look to make sure the summary can stand on its own. Is there any context your stakeholders need in order to understand the summary? If so, weave it into your executive summary, or consider linking out to it as additional information.

Always proofread

Your executive summary is a living document, and if you miss a typo you can always go back in and fix it. But it never hurts to proofread or send to a colleague for a fresh set of eyes.

In summary: an executive summary is a must-have

Executive summaries are a great way to get everyone up to date and on the same page about your project. If you have a lot of project stakeholders who need quick insight into what the project is solving and why it matters, an executive summary is the perfect way to give them the information they need.

For more tips about how to connect high-level strategy and plans to daily execution, read our article about strategic planning .

Related resources

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Cost control: How to monitor project spending to increase profitability

How to use a feasibility study in project management

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How to write an executive summary in 10 steps

Whether presenting a business plan, sharing project updates with stakeholders, or submitting a project proposal, an executive summary helps you grab attention and convey key insights.

Think of it as a condensed version of a document, report, or proposal that highlights the most important information clearly and concisely. It's like a "cheat sheet" that gives you a snapshot of the main points without reading the entire thing.

Throughout the article, we'll explore some examples of executive summaries to give you a better understanding of how they can be applied. Plus, we'll provide you with ready-to-use templates and best practices for writing compelling executive summaries.

What is an executive summary?

An executive summary is a concise overview of a longer document or report. It is typically written for busy executives or decision-makers who may not have the time to read the entire document but still need to grasp its key points and recommendations. 

An effective executive summary should capture the essence of the document, highlighting the most important information in a brief and easily understandable way. It should provide a snapshot of the document's purpose, methodology, major findings, and key recommendations. The summary should be written in a way that allows the reader to quickly grasp the main ideas and make informed decisions based on the information presented.

Why do you need to write one?

For a business owner , an executive summary is one of the most important documents you will have. Like a business plan , they help you lay out the potential value of your business and your potential for success. 

Unlike a business proposal, however, an executive summary is designed to be read in a brief amount of time. That makes them ideal for a variety of uses, like project proposals and research summaries. Sending your strategic plan to a prospective investor or stakeholder likely won’t get you far. But a brief report that clearly states your key findings and what’s in it for them might help you — and your proposal — stand out. It isn't all the details. It's what gets you the meeting to share more.

An executive summary is also a business document that can travel without you. It may be presented to other leaders and potential investors. If it’s written well, it will take on a life of its own. You may find that you get support and resources from places you never imagined.

What should be included in an executive summary?

Your executive summary should include brief descriptions of who your product, service, or proposal is for and your competitive advantage. Be sure to introduce your report concisely yet clearly . Note the most important points and its overall purpose––what do you hope to achieve with this report? 

Also, include any necessary background information and statistics about the industry, high-level information about your business model, necessary financial information, or other insights you discuss in the report. Depending on your proposal, you may want to consider summarizing a market analysis of your target market.

Typically, an executive summary follows a structured format, including sections such as:

• Introduction: Provides a brief background and context for the document.
• Objective or purpose: Clearly states the goal of the document and what it aims to achieve.
• Methodology: Briefly describes the approach, data sources, and methods used to conduct the research or analysis.
• Findings: Summarizes the main findings, conclusions, or results derived from the document.
• Recommendations: Outlines the key recommendations or proposed actions based on the findings.
• Conclusion: Provides a concise wrap-up of the main points and emphasizes the significance of the document.

How do you write an executive summary?

When tackling an executive summary, it's all about following a structured approach to ensure you effectively communicate those crucial points, findings, and recommendations. Let’s walk through some steps and best practices to make it a breeze:

Step 1: Get to know the document

Take the time to dive into the full document or report that your executive summary will be based on. Read it thoroughly and identify the main objectives, key findings, conclusions, and recommendations.

Step 2: Know your audience

Think about who you're writing the executive summary for. Consider their knowledge level, interests, and priorities. This helps you tailor the summary to their needs and make it relevant and impactful.

Step 3: Outline the structure

Create an outline for your executive summary with sections like introduction, objective, methodology, findings, recommendations, and conclusion. This way, you'll have a logical flow that's easy to follow.

Step 4: Start strong

Kick off your executive summary with a captivating opening statement. Make it concise, engaging, and impactful to hook the reader and make them want to keep reading.

Step 5: Summarize objectives and methodology

Give a brief overview of the document's objectives and the methodology used to achieve them. This sets the context and helps the reader understand the approach taken.

Step 6: Highlight key findings

Summarize the main findings, conclusions, or results. Focus on the juiciest and most relevant points that support the document's purpose. Keep it clear and concise to get the message across effectively.

Step 7: Present key recommendations

Outline the important recommendations or proposed actions based on the findings. Clearly state what needs to be done, why it matters, and how it aligns with the document's objectives. Make those recommendations actionable and realistic.

Step 8: Keep it snappy

Remember, an executive summary should be short and sweet. Skip unnecessary details, jargon, or technical language . Use straightforward language that hits the mark.

Step 9: Review and polish

Once you've written the executive summary, give it a careful review for clarity, coherence, and accuracy. Make sure it captures the essence of the full document and represents its content faithfully. Take the extra step to edit out any fluff or repetition.

Step 10: Dress to impress

Consider formatting and presentation. Use headings, bullet points, and formatting styles to make it visually appealing and easy to skim. If it makes sense, include some graphs, charts, or visuals to highlight key points.

Tips for writing an effective executive summary

• Adapt your language and tone to suit your audience.
• Keep things concise and crystal clear—say no to jargon.
• Focus on the most important info that packs a punch.
• Give enough context without overwhelming your reader.
• Use strong and persuasive language to make your recommendations shine.
• Make sure your executive summary makes sense even if the full document isn't read.
• Proofread like a pro to catch any pesky grammar, spelling, or punctuation errors.

Executive summary template for business plans

Here's a general template for creating an executive summary specifically for business plans:

[Your Company Name]

[Business Plan Title]

Business overview

Provide a brief introduction to your company, including its name, location, industry, and mission statement . Describe your unique value proposition and what sets your business apart from competitors.

Market analysis

Summarize the key findings of your market research. Provide an overview of the target market, its size, growth potential, and relevant trends. Highlight your understanding of customer needs, preferences, and behaviors.

Product or service offering

Outline your core products or services, including their key features and benefits. Emphasize how your offerings address customer pain points and provide value. Highlight any unique selling points or competitive advantages.

Business model

Explain your business model and revenue generation strategy. Describe how you will generate revenue, the pricing structure, and any distribution channels or partnerships that contribute to your business's success.

Marketing and sales strategy

Summarize your marketing and sales approach. Highlight the key tactics and channels you will use to reach and attract customers. Discuss your promotional strategies, pricing strategies, and customer acquisition plans.

Management team

Introduce the key members of your management team and their relevant experience. Highlight their expertise and how it positions the team to execute the business plan successfully. Include any notable advisors or board members.

Financial projections

Summarize your financial projections, including revenue forecasts, expected expenses, and projected profitability. Highlight any key financial metrics or milestones. Briefly mention your funding needs, if applicable.

Funding requirements

If seeking funding, outline your funding requirements, including the amount needed, its purpose, and the potential sources of funding you are considering. Summarize the expected return on investment for potential investors.

Reiterate the vision and potential of your business. Summarize the key points of your business plan, emphasizing its viability, market potential, and the expertise of your team. Convey confidence in the success of your venture.

Note: Keep the executive summary concise and focused, typically within one to two pages. Use clear and compelling language, emphasizing the unique aspects of your business. Tailor the template to suit your specific business plan, adjusting sections and details accordingly.

Remember, the executive summary serves as an introduction to your business plan and should pique the reader's interest, conveying the value and potential of your business in a concise and persuasive manner.

Executive summary examples

Every executive summary will be unique to the organization's goals, vision, and brand identity. We put together two general examples of executive summaries to spark your creativity and offer some inspiration. 

These are not intended to be used as-is but more to offer ideas for how you may want to put your own executive summary together. Be sure to personalize your own summary with specific statistics and relevant data points to make the most impact.

Example 1: executive summary for a communications business plan

Introduction:

We're thrilled to present our innovative [insert product] that aims to revolutionize the way people connect and engage. Our vision is to empower individuals and businesses with seamless communication solutions that break barriers and foster meaningful connections.

Market opportunity:

The communications industry is evolving rapidly, and we've identified a significant opportunity in the market. With the proliferation of remote work, the need for reliable and efficient communication tools has skyrocketed. Our extensive market research indicates a demand for solutions that prioritize user experience, security, and flexibility.

Product offering:

At [Company Name], we've developed a suite of cutting-edge communication tools designed to meet the diverse needs of our customers. Our flagship product is a unified communication platform that integrates voice, video, messaging, and collaboration features into a seamless user experience. We also offer customizable solutions for businesses of all sizes, catering to their unique communication requirements.

Unique value proposition:

What sets us apart from the competition? Our user-centric approach and commitment to innovation. We prioritize user experience by creating intuitive interfaces and seamless interactions. Our solutions are scalable, adaptable, and designed to keep up with evolving technological trends. By combining ease of use with advanced features, we deliver unparalleled value to our customers.

Target market:

Our primary focus is on small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) that require efficient and cost-effective communication tools. We also cater to individuals, remote teams, and larger enterprises seeking reliable and secure communication solutions. Our target market encompasses industries such as technology, finance, healthcare, and professional services.

Business model:

To generate revenue, we employ a subscription-based business model. Customers can choose from different plans tailored to their specific needs, paying a monthly or annual fee. We also offer additional services such as customization, integration, and customer support, creating additional revenue streams and fostering long-term customer relationships.

Marketing and sales strategy:

Our marketing strategy centers around building brand awareness through targeted digital campaigns, content marketing, and strategic partnerships. We'll leverage social media, industry influencers, and online communities to reach our target audience. Additionally, our sales team will engage in proactive outreach, nurturing leads and providing personalized consultations to convert prospects into loyal customers.

Team and expertise:

Our team is composed of experienced professionals with a deep understanding of the communications industry. Led by our visionary founder and supported by a skilled and diverse team, we have the expertise to drive innovation, develop robust products, and deliver exceptional customer service. We're passionate about our mission and dedicated to making a lasting impact in the market.

Financial projections:

Based on extensive market research and financial analysis, we anticipate strong growth and profitability. Our financial projections indicate steady revenue streams, with increasing customer adoption and market share. We're committed to managing costs effectively, optimizing our resources, and continuously reinvesting in research and development.

Funding requirements:

To fuel our ambitious growth plans and accelerate product development, we're seeking [funding amount] in funding. These funds will be allocated towards expanding our team, scaling our infrastructure, marketing efforts, and ongoing product innovation. We believe this investment will position us for success and solidify our market presence.

Conclusion:

In summary, [Company Name] is poised to disrupt the communications industry with our innovative solutions and customer-centric approach. We're ready to make a positive impact by empowering individuals and businesses to communicate effectively and effortlessly. Join us on this exciting journey as we redefine the future of communication. Together, we'll shape a connected world like never before.

Example 2: executive summary for a project proposal

[Project Name]

[Project Proposal Date]

Hello! We're thrilled to present our project proposal for [Project Name]. This executive summary will provide you with a high-level overview of the project, its objectives, and the value it brings.

Project overview:

Our project aims to [describe the project's purpose and scope]. It's a response to [identify the problem or opportunity] and has the potential to bring significant benefits to [stakeholders or target audience]. Through meticulous planning and execution, we're confident in our ability to achieve the desired outcomes.

Objectives:

The primary goal of our project is to [state the overarching objective]. In addition, we have specific objectives such as [list specific objectives]. By accomplishing these goals, we'll create a positive impact and drive meaningful change.

Our proposed approach for this project is based on a thorough analysis of the situation and best practices. We'll adopt a structured methodology that includes [describe the key project phases or activities]. This approach ensures efficient utilization of resources and maximizes project outcomes.

The benefits of this project are truly exciting. Through its implementation, we anticipate [describe the anticipated benefits or outcomes]. These benefits include [list specific benefits], which will have a lasting and positive effect on [stakeholders or target audience].

Implementation timeline:

We've devised a comprehensive timeline to guide the project from initiation to completion. The project is divided into distinct phases, with well-defined milestones and deliverables. Our timeline ensures that tasks are executed in a timely manner, allowing us to stay on track and deliver results.

Resource requirements:

To successfully execute this project, we've identified the key resources needed. This includes [list the resources required, such as human resources, technology, equipment, and funding]. We're confident in our ability to secure the necessary resources and allocate them effectively to ensure project success.

A project of this nature requires a well-planned budget. Based on our analysis, we've estimated the required funding to be [state the budget amount]. This budget encompasses all project-related costs and aligns with the anticipated benefits and outcomes.

Our project proposal is an exciting opportunity to address [the problem or opportunity] and create tangible value for [stakeholders or target audience]. With a clear vision, defined objectives, and a robust implementation plan, we're ready to embark on this journey. Join us as we bring this project to life and make a lasting impact. 

Is an executive summary the same as a project plan?

While both are important components of project management and documentation , they serve different purposes and contain distinct information.

An executive summary, as discussed earlier, is a concise overview of a longer document or report. It provides a snapshot of the key points, findings, and recommendations. It focuses on high-level information and aims to provide an overview of the document's purpose, methodology, findings, and recommendations.

On the other hand, a project plan is a detailed document that outlines the specific activities, tasks, timelines, resources, and milestones associated with a project. It serves as a roadmap for project execution, providing a comprehensive understanding of how the project will be carried out.

A project plan typically includes objectives, scope, deliverables, schedule, budget, resource allocation, risk management, and communication strategies. It is intended for project team members, stakeholders, and those directly involved in the execution.

In summary, an executive summary offers a condensed overview of a document's key points, while a project plan provides a comprehensive and detailed roadmap for executing a project.

Executive summaries vs. abstracts

An executive summary is not the same as an abstract. Executive summaries focus on the main points of a proposal. They highlight when and why a reader should invest in the company or project.

An abstract, on the other hand, concentrates on what the business does and its marketing plan. It typically doesn’t include detailed information about finances.

While it is usually compelling, it’s less of an elevator pitch and more of a summary. The goal of an abstract is to inform, not to persuade. On the other hand, the goal of an executive summary is to give readers who are pressed for time just enough information that they’ll want to look further into your proposition.

When do you use an executive summary?

An executive summary is used in various situations where there is a need to present a condensed overview of a longer document or report. Here are some common instances when an executive summary is used:

• Business proposals: When submitting a business proposal to potential investors, partners, or stakeholders, an executive summary is often included. It provides a concise overview of the proposal, highlighting the key aspects such as the business idea, market analysis, competitive advantage, financial projections, and recommended actions.
• Reports and research studies: Lengthy reports or research studies often include an executive summary at the beginning. This allows decision-makers, executives, or other stakeholders to quickly understand the purpose, methodology, findings, and recommendations of the report without going through the entire document.
• Project updates: During the course of a project, project managers may prepare executive summaries to provide updates to stakeholders or higher-level management. These summaries give a brief overview of the project's progress, achievements, challenges, and upcoming milestones.
• Strategic plans: When developing strategic plans for an organization, an executive summary is often included to provide an overview of the plan's goals, objectives, strategies, and key initiatives. It allows executives and stakeholders to grasp the essence of the strategic plan and its implications without reading the entire document.
• Funding requests: When seeking funding for a project or venture, an executive summary is commonly used as part of the funding proposal. It provides a succinct summary of the project, highlighting its significance, potential impact, financial requirements, and expected outcomes.

In general, an executive summary is used whenever there is a need to communicate the main points, findings, and recommendations of a document concisely and efficiently to individuals who may not have the time or inclination to read the entire content. It serves as a valuable tool for understanding and facilitates quick decision-making.

5 ways project managers can use executive summaries

Project managers can use executive summaries in various ways to effectively communicate project updates, status reports, or proposals to stakeholders and higher-level management. Here are some ways project managers can use executive summaries:

• Project status updates: Project managers can provide regular executive summaries to stakeholders and management to communicate the current status of the project. The summary should include key achievements, milestones reached, challenges encountered, and any adjustments to the project plan. It allows stakeholders to quickly grasp the project's progress and make informed decisions or provide guidance as needed.
• Project proposals: When pitching a project idea or seeking approval for a new project, project managers can prepare an executive summary to present the essential aspects of the project. The summary should outline the project's objectives, scope, anticipated benefits, resource requirements, estimated timeline, and potential risks. It helps decision-makers understand the project's value and make an informed choice about its initiation.
• Project closure reports: At the end of a project, project managers can prepare an executive summary as part of the project closure report. The summary should highlight the project's overall success, key deliverables achieved, lessons learned, and recommendations for future projects. It provides a concise overview of the project's outcomes and acts as a valuable reference for future initiatives.
• Steering committee meetings: When project managers present updates or seek guidance from a steering committee or governance board, an executive summary can be an effective tool. The summary should cover the important aspects of the project, such as progress, issues, risks, and upcoming milestones. It ensures that decision-makers are well-informed about the project's status and can provide relevant guidance or support.
• Change requests: When submitting a change request for a project, project managers can include an executive summary to summarize the proposed change, its impact on the project, potential risks, and benefits. It helps stakeholders and decision-makers quickly assess the change request and make informed decisions about its implementation.

Using executive summaries, project managers can efficiently communicate project-related information to stakeholders, executives, and decision-makers. The summaries provide a concise overview of the project's status, proposals, or closure reports, allowing stakeholders to quickly understand the key points and take appropriate action.

When should you not use an executive summary?

While executive summaries are widely used in many situations, there are some cases where they may not be necessary or suitable. Here are a few scenarios where an executive summary may not be appropriate, along with alternative approaches:

• Highly technical documents: If the document contains highly technical or specialized information that requires a detailed understanding, an executive summary alone may not be sufficient. In such cases, it is better to provide the complete document and supplement it with explanatory materials, presentations , or meetings where experts can explain and discuss the technical details.
• Personal or creative writing: Executive summaries are typically used for informational or analytical documents. If the content is more personal in nature, such as a memoir, novel, or creative piece, an executive summary may not be relevant. Instead, focus on providing an engaging introduction or book blurb that entices readers and conveys the essence of the work.
• Short documents: If the document itself is already concise and can be easily read in its entirety, an executive summary may be redundant. In these cases, it is more effective to present the complete document without an additional summary.
• Interactive presentations: In situations where you can present information interactively, such as in meetings, workshops, or conferences, it may be more effective to engage the audience directly rather than relying solely on an executive summary. Use visual aids, demonstrations, discussions, and Q&A sessions to convey the necessary information and capture the audience's attention.

Final thoughts on writing a compelling executive summary

An executive summary isn’t the kitchen sink — it’s the bells and whistles. Geared toward busy decision-makers, these one-pagers communicate your case for action and proposed solutions. When it’s written well, your audience will walk away with an understanding of what needs to be done, why it needs to happen, and why they should help it move forward. 

But writing it well doesn’t just mean spell-checking. It means tailoring your communication to an influential, yet busy and distracted audience. To be effective, you’ll need to write your proposal with empathy and an understanding of what matters to them .

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With over 15 years of content experience, Allaya Cooks Campbell has written for outlets such as ScaryMommy, HRzone, and HuffPost. She holds a B.A. in Psychology and is a certified yoga instructor as well as a certified Integrative Wellness & Life Coach. Allaya is passionate about whole-person wellness, yoga, and mental health.

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How to Write an Executive Summary Execs Can't Ignore [+ 5 Top Examples]

Published: May 30, 2024

Early in my career, I was intimidated by executive summaries. They sounded so corporate and formal. But, proper name aside, they’re really just the elevator pitch or the TL;DR (too long, didn’t read) of a document.

Writing an executive summary is an important leadership skill, whether you're an entrepreneur creating a business plan or a CEO delivering a quarterly report.

So, let’s sharpen that skill.

What is an Executive Summary?

An executive summary is a brief overview of a longer professional document, like a business plan, proposal, or report. It's commonly at the beginning of a document and aims to grab a reader’s attention while summarizing critical information such as the problem or opportunity being addressed, objectives, key findings, goals, and recommendations.

Ultimately, an executive summary gives readers a concise overview of the most important information in a document, so they don't have to read the entire thing.

Think of it like the SparkNotes of the business world.

Documents that frequently have an executive summary include:

• Business plans
• Research reports
• Project proposals
• Annual reports

How does it differ from other business statements? Let’s compare.

Free Executive Summary Template

Use this executive summary template to provide a summary of your report, business plan, or memo.

• Company & Opportunity
• Industry & Market Analysis
• Management & Operations
• Financial Plan

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Executive Summary vs. Business Plan

All business plans have an executive summary, but not all executive summaries belong to business plans.

A business plan includes a company overview, short-term and long-term goals, information on your product or service, sales targets, expense budgets, your marketing plan, and even team information

Business plans are very detailed and comprehensive. They can be as short as a dozen pages or as long as 100 pages. The executive summary is the first section of the business plan.

An in-demand CEO or investor might not have the bandwidth to read your full business plan without first understanding your company or goals. That’s where an executive summary comes in handy.

Note: Need help putting together your business plan? We’ve got a template for you.

Executive Summary vs. Mission Statement

Mission statements and executive summaries are typically found in business plans, but they serve different purposes.

A mission statement defines your organization’s purpose, values, and vision. It’s your company’s North Star and communicates your core identity and reason for existence. On the other hand, an executive summary provides a high-level overview of the document.

I also love how we define key terms to help readers understand the rest of the report. This is an excellent example of setting the tone for the rest of your document in an executive summary and making it easier to navigate.

3. ClickUp: Product Update Release Notes

Now, I know this article is about writing an executive summary, but I love ClickUp’s unique approach with its product release notes videos.

This digital report from research firm McKinsey Global Institute features an executive summary titled “At a Glance.”

Here, the organization recaps the key findings from its 56-page research report in six easy-to-skim bullet points.

It’s compelling, easy to digest, and makes it easy to jump into the full report with download links.

5. UN: World Economic Situation and Prospects 2024

Finally, we have a fairly traditional approach to an executive summary from the United Nations (UN) , clocking in at 16 pages.

Now, I know. Sixteen pages seems lengthy, but the full report is just shy of 200 pages.

The executive summary highlights the report’s largest conclusions with headers. Then, it expands on those headers with relevant statistics. It also uses bold font to draw attention to the countries or regions affected (something the reader will likely be most interested in).

The tone and visual design are both formal, which matches the esteem of the United Nations. Overall, this executive summary does an admirable job of making the report's information more approachable.

Make your executive summary memorable.

Make sure your executive summary is strong. Tell your story. Include compelling data and facts. Use easy-to-understand and digest language. If you can, get visual.

An executive summary should be concise, but also memorable. After all, this may be the only part of your proposal, report, or analysis that actually gets read.

Use the guidance above to ensure your executive summary resonates with your audience and opens the door to the opportunities you crave.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in December 2018 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

Don't forget to share this post!

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How to Write an Executive Summary (+ Examples)

• March 21, 2024
• Business Plan , How to Write

The executive summary is the cornerstone of any business plan, serving as a gateway for readers to understand the essence of your proposal.

It summarizes the plan’s key points into a digestible format, making it crucial for capturing the interest of investors, partners, and stakeholders.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore what the executive summary is, why we use it, and also how you can create one for your business plan. Let’s dive in!

What is an Executive Summary?

An executive summary is a concise and compelling overview of a business plan (or simply a report), designed to provide readers, such as investors, partners, or upper management, with a quick and clear understanding of the document’s most critical aspects.

For a business plan, it summarizes the key points including the business overview , market analysis , strategy plan timeline and financial projections.

Typically, the executive summary is the first section of a business plan, but it should be written last to ensure it accurately reflects the content of the entire document.

The primary goal of an executive summary is to engage the reader’s interest and encourage them to read the full document.

It should be succinct, typically no more than one to two pages, and articulate enough to stand on its own, presenting the essence of the business proposal or report without requiring the reader to go through the entire document for basic understanding.

Why Do We Use It?

The executive summary plays a crucial role in whether a business plan opens doors to funding, partnerships, or other opportunities . It’s often the first (and sometimes the only) part of the plan that stakeholders read, making it essential for making a strong, positive first impression. As such, we use it in order to:

• Capture Attention: Given the volume of business plans investors, partners, and lenders might receive, an executive summary’s primary function is to grab the reader’s attention quickly. It highlights the most compelling aspects of the business to encourage further reading.
• Save Time: It provides a succinct overview of the business plan, allowing readers to understand the key points without going through the entire document. This is particularly beneficial for busy stakeholders who need to make informed decisions efficiently.
• Facilitate Understanding: An executive summary distills complex business concepts and strategies into a concise format. Therefore, it makes it easier for readers to grasp the business’s core mission, strategic direction, and potential for success.
• Driving Action: By summarizing the financial projections and funding requirements, an executive summary can effectively communicate the investment opportunity. Indeed the investment opportunity, whether to raise money from investors or a loan from a bank, is the most common reason why we prepare business plans.
• Setting the Tone: The executive summary sets the tone for the entire business plan. A well-written summary indicates a well-thought-out business plan, reflecting the professionalism and competence of the management team.

How to Write an Executive Summary in 4 Simple Steps

Here’s a streamlined approach to crafting an impactful executive summary:

1. Start with Your Business Overview

• Company Name: Begin with the name of your business.
• Location: Provide the location of your business operations.
• Business model: Briefly describe how you make money, the producfs and/or services your business offers.

2. Highlight the Market Opportunity

• Target Market : Identify your target market and its size.
• Market Trends : Highlight the key market trends that justify the need for your product or service.
• Competitive Landscape : Describe how your business is positioned to meet this need effectively.

3. Present Your Management Team

• Team Overview: Introduce the key members of your management team and their roles.
• Experience: Highlight relevant experience and skills that contribute to the business’s success.

4. Include Financial Projections

• Financial Summary: Provide a snapshot of key financial projections, including revenue, profits, and cash flow over the next three to five years.
• Funding Requirements: If seeking investment, specify the amount needed and how it will be used.

2 Executive Summary Examples

Here are 2 examples you can use as an inspiration to create yours. These are taken from our coffee shop and hair salon business plan templates.

Coffee Shop Executive Summary

Hair Salon Executive Summary

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How To Write an Effective Executive Summary to Yield Results

By Kate Eby | April 3, 2018

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In this article, you'll learn how to craft an organized, well written executive summary the next time you have to gain the attention of a time-strapped audience.

Included on this page, you’ll find information on how to write an executive summary that wins the proposal, how to format your executive summary , an executive summary checklist , and more. 

What Is the Purpose of the Executive Summary?

An executive summary should be clear and concise (typically one to two pages long) and present the main points in a formal tone. The purpose of an executive summary is to pique the reader’s curiosity by presenting facts from the larger piece of content it is summarizing.

The executive summary can be either a portion of a business document (a business plan, project proposal, or report) or long articles and documents common in research-driven communities and academia. When crafted correctly, the executive summary provides an overview of the information and objectives in the larger document. The executive summary stands alone from the content it summarizes, and should include the essential information, the recommendations, the findings, and the conclusion of the more extensive document.

The Benefits of a Well Written Executive Summary

A well planned, well written executive summary is a valuable tool because it prioritizes the reader’s time and reduces the effort required to learn the critical aspects of the content. The summary can convey the purpose of your business plan, project proposal, product launch presentation, or sales pitch to keep the reader engaged and reading further, or empowered to take action. Even if it is the only thing your audience reads, a strong executive summary creates value for the reader as a first impression. Use the executive summary to make a business case, support a position, or tell a story. The reader should know how the subject of your content impacts them, benefits their work, their company, or their projects after reading the executive summary.  

Various industries use executive summaries as a communication tool, including healthcare, education, government, technology, real estate, finance, law, the nonprofit sector, and more. One of the benefits of using an executive summary is that it is not exclusive to one type of communication. Executive summaries show up in a variety of use cases, including the following:

Business plans

Legal briefs

Product launch plans

College campus surveys

Market research reports

Environmental studies

Project proposals

Hospital planning and evaluation

How to Write an Executive Summary

Crafting a useful executive summary requires more than simply cutting and pasting vital information from the body of your report or proposal. The executive summary may be the only part of the report your target audience reads, so you should spend the time to make it valuable.

It doesn’t have to be an intimidating process, but before you begin writing, you should ask the following critical questions:

Who depends on the information? When you write the executive summary, decide who you are targeting and the critical information that audience needs. What do they need to know to make a decision? What would they already know? Do you have a specific customer you want to reach with your message or story? Writing the executive summary with that audience in mind will make it useful because the story you’re telling about your business, project, or proposal will resonate.

What is the objective? While it’s true that an executive summary recaps essential information from the body of the content it summarizes, that is its function, not its purpose. Write the summary to your intended audience and include the crucial information that supports your objective for creating the document. What do you need the reader to understand? Is the aim to recommend change based on the results of your research? What needs to happen for the project plan to succeed based on your proposal? Let your objectives determine the content and context of your summary.  

What are you recommending? Use the executive summary to draw conclusions and make recommendations to the reader. If your report presents the need for change, recommend the actions that the body of your document supports in the summary. State the benefits of your product or service, or the solutions you provide more detail on in the proposal. Ultimately, don’t make the reader work to find out what action they need to take: Make your recommendations clear in the executive summary.

How will you make an impression? The “executive” summary earned its name from the need to get the upper management’s attention. Executives did not have the time to read every word of every document. The summary had to make an impression because it might be the only part of the material that would be read. Regardless of its origins, the principle of using the summary to make an impression on the reader is sound, as that impression might encourage the reader to keep reading or take action. Consider how you shape the message, organize the sections of your summary, or present research to stand out in a brief space.

Executive Summary Checklist

After you answer these questions and begin writing your document, refer to the following checklist as you develop the executive summary.

Download Executive Summary Checklist

What Is the Format of an Executive Summary?

Every executive summary intends to distill information to the reader upfront, so it is typically placed first in the document. (Sometimes it is a separate section of a formal business document listed in the table of contents.)

When used in a less formal manner, the executive summary is an opening paragraph, a separate one-page summary memo, or the first page of a report. For example, if your goal is to raise capital, use the executive summary like an investor profile that provides the reader the information necessary to land the meeting or get the funding, without further reading.

The format and length vary based on the purpose of the content that you are summarizing; there is no set structure to follow. Here are some formatting tips that you can use for any executive summary, regardless of the style:

Order of Appearance : Beyond the introduction, decide what sections of the summary are most important to the purpose of the document. Organize your subheadings or sections in that order. Use bullet points and plenty of spacing between the different parts of the summary to make the content more accessible to scanning eyes. By doing so, you naturally discard information better left to the body of the document, and you honor the reader’s time by prioritizing the message, recommendations, conclusions, or solutions in the longer document.  

How Much Is Too Much : Executive summaries vary in length based on the type of content they summarize or their purpose. Some recommend keeping the summary to a specific percentage of the overall document, while others advocate a set number of pages. Focus on keeping the summary brief but comprehensive, with the most important information available to the reader.

Audience Aim : The tone and language of the executive summary should match that of the target audience. Avoid using technical jargon that requires definitions, and present the information in an accessible manner based on the knowledge and expertise of your intended audience. Do not include acronyms or highlight data that need an extensive background for context, and avoid using casual, informal tones. That said, an executive summary used in internal communications will have a different tone and style than one used in external communication tools.

One-page Executive Summary Template

This template is designed to fit your executive summary on one page. Take advantage of the short sections and bullet points to keep the document concise and hook the reader with the information that will keep them reading. Organize the key points by customizing the subheadings to emphasize their importance based on your purpose for the document.

Download One-page Executive Summary Template

Excel  |  Word  |  PDF

What Are the Common Pitfalls of Executive Summaries?

When formatting and organizing the executive summary, beware of the following pitfalls that plague poorly written and poorly planned summaries:

Fact or Persuasion : Support your motives and the objective of the executive summary with the facts. If the summary is for a sales proposal or pitch deck, persuade your reader up front with data and information, not buzzwords and cliches. If the executive summary includes generalizations or opinions that you don't support within your material with market research, project examples, independent data, testimonials, etc., you risk misleading the reader. Avoid writing a summary that leads clients, policy makers, or management to an unsupported recommendation or conclusion for the sake of persuasion — instead, focus on the facts.  

Relevance Over Repetition : By nature, the executive summary is a repetitive summary of content. Therefore, only include the most relevant details — those that summarize the true purpose of the overall content. Use the rest of your business plan, research report, or client proposal to cover topics relevant background information at length. If you try to cut and paste too much information and context from your longer business or research document into the summary, the details might overshadow the impression you want to make on the reader. The background becomes the introduction, and you risk losing a reader’s attention (especially an online audience).

Consistency Is Key : The executive summary highlights the substance of the larger piece of content. Don’t feature information here that is not covered in the body of the proposal. Avoid using different subheadings to organize copy in the body of the report. For example, if you highlight “Project Milestones” in the executive summary, do not list them in a new section for “Project Goals” in the business proposal. Use the tone and language you establish in the summary throughout the material. If you target an audience without expertise in the subject matter, don’t switch to highly technical analysis in the body copy. Finally, if you cover something in the executive summary, cover it again in the report. Don’t make the reader work to learn more about something you highlighted in the summary.

Draw a Clear Conclusion : Write an executive summary that comes to a conclusion and supports your purpose for creating the document. Keep the reader’s interest in mind when you summarize a lengthy project proposal or report. Does the reader have a clear understanding of the solutions you propose? Can they identify the problems you solve? If the executive summary is the only thing they read, can they take action on your recommendations or anticipate a desired outcome based on the information you included?

Executive Summary Outline Template - PowerPoint

Use this free template to outline your next big presentation, or keep it updated as a live meeting record to keep up with your evolving internal business plans or funding needs. The slides are formatted to outline the important elements of a formal business plan summary. You can customize the slides to fit the order of importance for your content’s purpose or extend each. Use the slides as an outline to keep track of the content you want to summarize after every update or draft of the report.

‌ Download Executive Summary Outline Template - PowerPoint

What to Include in an Executive Summary

You will determine the components of each executive summary you write based on the reason for writing it and your target audience.

For example, a business plan for an external audience includes financial information and details on the size and scale of a company; startups seeking funding and investors will highlight specific financial requirements and how they impact the business strategy. Executive summaries vary in the content they cover, but here is a common framework:

Introduction : This opening statement, paragraph, or section should clearly state the document’s purpose and the content to follow. How you will use this section depends on the desired outcome for the reader or audience, who should immediately find value in the information you present. Therefore, the details included in the introduction should grab and hold the reader’s attention.  

Company Information : When writing an executive summary for an external audience, include your company name, a description of your mission or purpose, contact information, location, and the size and scale of your operations. In some cases, the summary introduces the founders, investors, and corporate leadership. It might include background information of each that outlines previous industry or startup experience, or historical context on the current state of the company. When used in a presentation or research report, introduce the team presenting or responsible for the report’s findings.

Products and Services : The executive summary is the place to highlight the problem you solve or the need you fulfill. For a report, this is where you might highlight what you researched and what the reader should know about your findings. For a project proposal, include what you’re planning to accomplish and what you need to make it successful. For marketing plans or product launch presentations, tell the reader why your service or product is relevant at this particular moment in time.

Market Analysis : The executive summary of a business plan might profile the target customer and explain the market opportunity for a product or service. Consider answering questions like: Is there a five year plan for this market? How do you anticipate growing the customer base and improving market share? What stands out from your research about your customers that the reader should know?

Competition Analysis : This section should include answers to the following questions:

What is the competitive advantage of your proposed solution or product and who or what do you compete with in this market?

What are the opportunities now and in the future?

What are the risks in your market and your product or service?

Do you have relevant experience with major competitors?

What are the future plans for growth and what obstacles do you anticipate addressing?

Financials : The executive summary might summarize key financial data that is relevant to the reader or data that supports your research. If the purpose is to secure funding, include the specific amount you are requesting. Be sure to provide context for the financial data or any number you highlight in the executive summary. This section is a great way to highlight growth, or to use metrics to provide perspective on the company.

Conclusions : Recap your findings, the problem and solution discussed, or the project and work proposed. If there is a decision the reader needs to make, be direct about it. Make the outcomes obvious, but leave enough intrigue for the rest of the content to follow.

How Do You End An Executive Summary?

Although the executive summary begins a document, it concludes so that it can stand alone from the rest of the content and still be of value. Use the conclusion to recap your findings, make recommendations, and propose solutions to the problem.

If there is a decision you want the reader to make, ask make a call to action in this section. If you are summarizing a research report, summarize the findings and the research methods used to conclude the work. Make the outcomes or recommendations visible, but leave enough out to incentivize the audience to continue reading. Close the executive summary with a strong statement or transition that sets up the theme or central message to the story you tell in the report or proposal.

What Should Be in the Executive Summary of a Business Plan?

Traditional business plans differ in context and content based on if the audience is internal or external. Both audiences benefit from some of the previously discussed elements of the executive summary (like a substantial introduction).

However, the summary of an internal business plan does not require a section that introduces management or key personnel. An external business plan targets an audience that expects to find crucial financial information in the summary. When you develop the executive summary of the business plan, determine the information to include based on the audience and purpose of the document.

Business Plan Executive Summary Template

This executive summary template is designed to get your business plan noticed and reviewed. In this scenario, you’re presenting to an external audience and therefore should include more attention to detail with a standard business plan document. Use bullet points and clear, formal language to guide the reader to the most important information about your company.

Download Business Plan Executive Summary Template

Excel  |  Word  |  PDF  | Smartsheet

You can find a variety of templates for various industries and needs by reading “Free Executive Summary Templates.”

What Should Be in an Executive Summary of a Report?

Josh Bernoff spent 20 years writing and editing reports for Forrester Research. He is an advocate of creating actionable reports that tell a story. He believes that the executive summary is crucial.

“If the report is a story, the right executive summary is the same story, written briefly,” writes Bernoff . He recommends imagining that your readers ask you questions like, “What’s the coolest stuff in this report?” and “What did you find out?” while writing the report.

“Your answer, written directly to the reader, is the executive summary,” Bernoff explains in his book.

The executive summary of a report requires vivid details that grab online readers’ attention in a hurry. According to Bernoff, the summary recaps the story you want to tell behind all the words in the report. Using this advice as a guidepost, consider including the following answers to these questions to create your report’s summary:

What is the central plot of your report?

Why is this story important?

What are the most memorable scenes (examples, data, case study results, etc.) from the different sections of the report?

How does your research address the story’s central conflict (the problem solved)?

How does your research support the story’s conclusion?

What actions does the story recommend the reader be aware of?

The executive summary of lengthy research reports — especially those used in academic articles, scientific journals, government studies, or healthcare initiatives — require additional formatting considerations and elements not found in business plans or proposals. Consider the following guidelines when developing the executive summary of a research report:

Present the sections of the executive summary in the same order as in the main report.

Do not include information or research that is not supported and presented in the body of the report.

Draw a conclusion with the executive summary that justifies the research and provides recommendations.

Use a tone and language to describe technical information that readers without advanced knowledge or expertise of the subject matter can understand.

Remember that an executive summary of a report is distinct from an abstract. Abstracts are shorter overviews of a report and are common in academia. They familiarize the reader with a synopsis of the research that is much shorter than an executive summary. You can also think of an abstract as a standalone statement that helps the reader determine if they will read on. The executive summary, by contrast, summarizes the research in a structure that includes the summary, methods, results, conclusions, and recommendations for the reader without necessarily having to read further.

Research Report Executive Summary Template

Use this template to create a synopsis of research results for reports — these will typically be longer than an executive summary for a business plan and proposal. The template is formatted to accommodate in-depth reports that need space for charts and tables to illustrate research data. It is designed to summarize technical information in a concise manner, with clear subheadings that communicate key findings to readers with various expertise and interest.

Download Research Report Executive Summary Template

Word  |  PDF

Get Funding with Your Executive Summary

Startups seeking capital investment from venture capital funds and angel investors can repurpose the executive summary from a business plan as a more concise, less formal investor profile.

This type of summary memo is stripped down and focused on the specific financial requirements and how the funding makes an impact on the business strategy. It is the perfect template to create a profile on investor platform websites like AngelList and Gust . Use the following tips to transform traditional business plan summaries into the pitch that lands you a meeting or funding:

Include the specific dollar amount you’re requesting, the purpose for the funds raised, and any relevant data such as repayment terms, collateral, equity share information, etc.

Keep the financial data simple and round to the nearest whole dollar amount.

List founders, partners, and key management personnel and highlight specific domain expertise or previous startup experience.

Describe your company’s growth plan and the proposed exit strategy.

Remove any industry buzzwords, meaningless phrases, and cliches (for example “the Uber of…,” “game-changing,” “disruptive,” “next Facebook,” “world-class,” etc.).

Mention noteworthy achievements, intellectual property, important business partnerships, or information on product development stages in test markets.

Describe work in progress and highlight relevant information about customer growth, market demand, and product development.

Startup Executive Summary Template

Transform your executive summary into an investor document with this template. It acts as a one-page pitch that serves as your company profile on investor platforms. You can repurpose this template and save it as a PDF summary memo to land future meetings with investors. For more information on business plans for startups, including free budget templates, read “ Free Startup Plan, Budget & Cost Templates .”

Download Startup Executive Summary Template

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How to Write an Executive Summary (Example & Template Included)

Here’s the good news: an executive summary is short. It’s part of a larger document like a business plan, business case or project proposal and, as the name implies, summarizes the longer report.

Here’s the bad news: it’s a critical document that can be challenging to write because an executive summary serves several important purposes. On one hand, executive summaries are used to outline each section of your business plan, an investment proposal or project proposal. On the other hand, they’re used to introduce your business or project to investors and other stakeholders, so they must be persuasive to spark their interest.

What Is an Executive Summary?

An executive summary is a short section of a larger document like a business plan , investment proposal or project proposal. It’s mostly used to give investors and stakeholders a quick overview of important information about a business plan like the company description, market analysis and financial information.

It contains a short statement that addresses the problem or proposal detailed in the attached documents and features background information, a concise analysis and a conclusion. An executive summary is designed to help executives and investors decide whether to go forth with the proposal, making it critically important. Pitch decks are often used along with executive summaries to talk about the benefits and main selling points of a business plan or project.

Unlike an abstract, which is a short overview, an executive summary format is a condensed form of the documents contained in the proposal. Abstracts are more commonly used in academic and research-oriented writing and act as a teaser for the reader to see if they want to read on.

Executive Summary Format & Template

To put all of that information together, here’s the basic format of an executive summary. You can find this same information in our free executive summary template :

• Introduction, be sure to know your audience
• Table of contents in the form of a bulleted list
• Explain the company’s role and identify strengths
• Explain the need, or the problem, and its importance
• Recommend a solution and explain its value
• Justify said solution by explaining how it fits the organization
• A strong conclusion that once more wraps up the importance of the project

You can use it as an executive summary example and add or remove some of its elements to adjust it to your needs. Our sample executive summary has the main elements that you’ll need project executive summary.

How to Write an Executive Summary

The pressure of writing an executive summary comes from the fact that everyone will pay attention to it, as it sits at the top of that heap of documents. It explains all that follows and can make or break your business plan or project plan . The executive summary must know the needs of the potential clients or investors and zero in on them like a laser. Fortunately, we’ll show you how to write and format your executive summary to do just that.

Executive summaries vary depending on the document they’re attached to. You can write an executive summary for a business plan, project proposal, research document, or business case, among other documents and reports. However, when writing an executive summary, there are guidelines to ensure you hit all the bases.

Executive Summary Length

According to the many books that have been written about executive summaries, as well as training courses, seminars and professional speakers, the agreed-upon length for an executive summary format should be about five to 10 percent of the length of the whole report.

Appropriate Language

The language used should be appropriate for the target audience. One of the most important things to know before you write professionally is to understand who you’re addressing. If you’re writing for a group of engineers, the language you’ll use will differ greatly from how you would write to a group of financiers.

That includes more than just the words, but the content and depth of explanation. Remember, it’s a summary, and people will be reading it to quickly and easily pull out the main points.

Pithy Introduction

You also want to capture a reader’s attention immediately in the opening paragraph. Just like a speech often opens with a joke to break the tension and put people at ease, a strong introductory paragraph can pull a reader in and make them want to read on. That doesn’t mean you start with a joke. Stick to your strengths, but remember, most readers only give you a few sentences to win them over before they move on.

Don’t forget to explain who you are as an organization and why you have the skills, personnel and experience to solve the problem raised in the proposal. This doesn’t have to be a lengthy biography, often just your name, address and contact information will do, though you’ll also want to highlight your strengths as they pertain to the business plan or project proposal .

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Executive Summary Template

Use this free Executive Summary Template for Word to manage your projects better.

Relevant Information

The executive summary shouldn’t stray from the material that follows it. It’s a summary, not a place to bring up new ideas. To do so would be confusing and would jeopardize your whole proposal.

Establish the need or the problem, and convince the target audience that it must be solved. Once that’s set up, it’s important to recommend the solution and show what the value is. Be clear and firm in your recommendation.

Justify your cause. Be sure to note the key reasons why your organization is the perfect fit for the solution you’re proposing. This is the point where you differentiate yourself from competitors, be that due to methodology, testimonials from satisfied clients or whatever else you offer that’s unique. But don’t make this too much about you. Be sure to keep the name of the potential client at the forefront.

Don’t neglect a strong conclusion, where you can wrap things up and once more highlight the main points.

Related: 10 Essential Excel Report Templates

What to Include in an Executive Summary

The content of your executive summary must reflect what’s in the larger document which it is part of. You’ll find many executive summary examples on the web, but to keep things simple, we’ll focus on business plans and project proposals.

Getting everything organized for your executive summary can be challenging. ProjectManager can help you get your thoughts in order and collaborate with your team. Our powerful task management tools make it easy to get everything prioritized and done on time. Try it free today.

How to Write an Executive Summary for a Business Plan

As we’ve learned above, your executive summary must extract the main points of all the sections of your business plan. A business plan is a document that describes all the aspects of a business, such as its business model, products or services, objectives and marketing plan , among other things. They’re commonly used by startups to pitch their ideas to investors.

Here are the most commonly used business plan sections:

• Company description: Provide a brief background of your company, such as when it was established, its mission, vision and core values.
• Products & services: Describe the products or services your company will provide to its customers.
• Organization and management: Explain the legal structure of your business and the members of the top management team.
• SWOT analysis: A SWOT analysis explains the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of your business. They describe the internal and external factors that impact your business competitiveness.
• Industry & market analysis: This section should provide an overview of the industry and market in which your business will compete.
• Operations: Explain the main aspects of your business operations and what sets it apart from competitors.
• Marketing plan: Your marketing plan describes the various strategies that your business will use to reach its customers and sell products or services.
• Financial planning: Here, you should provide an overview of the financial state of your business. Include income statements, balance sheets and cash flow statements.
• Funding request: If you’re creating your business plan to request funding, make sure to explain what type of funding you need, the timeframe for your funding request and an explanation of how the funds will be used.

We’ve created an executive summary example to help you better understand how this document works when using it, to sum up a business plan.

Executive Summary Example

For this executive summary example, we’ll imagine a company named ABC Clothing, a small business that manufactures eco-friendly clothing products and it’s preparing a business plan to secure funding from new investors.

Company Description We are ABC Clothing, an environmentally-friendly manufacturer of apparel. We’ve developed a unique method of production and sourcing of materials that allows us to create eco-friendly products at a low cost . We have intellectual property for our production processes and materials, which gives us an advantage in the market.

• Mission: Our mission is to use recycled materials and sustainable methods of production to create clothing products that are great for our customers and our planet.
• Vision: Becoming a leader in the apparel industry while generating a positive impact on the environment.

Products & Services We offer high-quality clothing products for men, women and all genders. (Here you should include pictures of your product portfolio to spark the interest of your readers)

Industry & Market Analysis Even though the fashion industry’s year-over-year growth has been affected by pandemics in recent years, the global apparel market is expected to continue growing at a steady pace. In addition, the market share of sustainable apparel has grown year-over-year at a higher pace than the overall fashion industry.

Marketing Plan Our marketing plan relies on the use of digital marketing strategies and online sales, which gives us a competitive advantage over traditional retailers that focus their marketing efforts on brick-and-mortar stores.

Operations Our production plant is able to recycle different types of plastic and cotton waste to turn it into materials that we use to manufacture our products . We’ve partnered with a transportation company that sorts and distributes our products inside the United States efficiently and cost-effectively.

Financial Planning Our business is profitable, as documented in our balance sheet, income statement and cash flow statement. The company doesn’t have any significant debt that might compromise its continuity. These and other financial factors make it a healthy investment.

Funding Request We’re requesting funding for the expansion of our production capacity, which will allow us to increase our production output in order to meet our increasing customer demand, enter new markets, reduce our costs and improve our competitiveness.

If you’d like to see more executive summary examples for your business plan, you can visit the U.S. small business administration website. They have business plans with executive summary examples you can download and use.

Executive summaries are also a great way to outline the elements of a project plan for a project proposal. Let’s learn what those elements are.

How to Write an Executive Summary for a Project Proposal

An executive summary for your project proposal will capture the most important information from your project management plan. Here’s the structure of our executive summary template:

• Introduction: What’s the purpose of your project?
• Company description: Show why you’re the right team to take on the project.
• Need/problem: What is the problem that it’s solving?
• Unique solution: What is your value proposition and what are the main selling points of your project?
• Proof: Evidence, research and feasibility studies that support how your company can solve the issue.
• Resources: Outline the resources needed for the project
• Return on investment/funding request: Explain the profitability of your project and what’s in for the investors.
• Competition/market analysis: What’s your target market? Who are your competitors? How does your company differentiate from them?
• Marketing plan: Create a marketing plan that describes your company’s marketing strategies, sales and partnership plans.
• Budget/financial planning: What’s the budget that you need for your project plan?
• Timeline: What’s the estimated timeline to complete the project?
• Team: Who are the project team members and why are they qualified?
• Conclusions:  What are the project takeaways?

Now that we’ve learned that executive summaries can vary depending on the type of document you’re working on, you’re ready for the next step.

What to Do After Writing an Executive Summary

As with anything you write, you should always start with a draft. The first draft should hit all the marks addressed above but don’t bog yourself down in making the prose perfect. Think of the first draft as an exploratory mission. You’re gathering all the pertinent information.

Next, you want to thoroughly review the document to ensure that nothing important has been left out or missed. Make sure the focus is sharp and clear, and that it speaks directly to your potential client’s needs.

Proofread for Style & Grammar

But don’t neglect the writing. Be sure that you’re not repeating words, falling into cliché or other hallmarks of bad writing. You don’t want to bore the reader to the point that they miss the reason why you’re the organization that can help them succeed.

You’ve checked the content and the prose, but don’t forget the style. You want to write in a way that’s natural and not overly formal, but one that speaks in the manner of your target audience . If they’re a conservative firm, well then, maybe formality is called for. But more and more modern companies have a casual corporate culture, and formal writing could mistakenly cause them to think of you as old and outdated.

The last run should be proofing the copy. That means double-checking to ensure that spelling is correct, and there are no typos or grammatical mistakes. Whoever wrote the executive summary isn’t the best person to edit it, however. They can easily gloss over errors because of their familiarity with the work. Find someone who excels at copy-editing. If you deliver sloppy content, it shows a lack of professionalism that’ll surely color how a reader thinks of your company.

Criticism of Executive Summaries

While we’re advocating for the proper use of an executive summary, it’d be neglectful to avoid mentioning some critiques. The most common is that an executive summary by design is too simple to capture the complexity of a large and complicated project.

It’s true that many executives might only read the summary, and in so doing, miss the nuance of the proposal. That’s a risk. But if the executive summary follows the guidelines stated above, it should give a full picture of the proposal and create interest for the reader to delve deeper into the documents to get the details.

Remember, executive summaries can be written poorly or well. They can fail to focus on results or the solution to the proposal’s problem or do so in a vague, general way that has no impact on the reader. You can do a hundred things wrong, but if you follow the rules, then the onus falls on the reader.

ProjectManager Turns an Executive Summary Into a Project

Your executive summary got the project approved. Now the real work begins. ProjectManager is award-winning project management software that helps you organize tasks, projects and teams. We have everything you need to manage each phase of your project, so you can complete your work on time and under budget.

Work How You Want

Because project managers and teams work differently, our software is flexible. We have multiple project views, such as the kanban board, which visualizes workflow. Managers like the transparency it provides in the production cycle, while teams get to focus only on those tasks they have the capacity to complete. Are you more comfortable with tasks lists or Gantt charts? We have those, too.

Live Tracking for Better Management

To ensure your project meets time and cost expectations, we have features that monitor and track progress so you can control any deviations that might occur. Our software is cloud-based, so the data you see on our dashboard is always up to date, helping you make better decisions. Make that executive summary a reality with ProjectManager.

You’ve now researched and written a persuasive executive summary to lead your proposal. You’ve put in the work and the potential client sees that and contracts you for the project. However, if you don’t have a reliable set of project management tools like Gantt charts , kanban boards and project calendars at hand to plan, monitor and report on the work, then all that preparation will be for nothing.

ProjectManager is online project management software that gives you real-time data and a collaborative platform to work efficiently and productively. But don’t take our word for it, take a free 30-day trial.

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How to Write an Executive Summary

9 min. read

Updated December 13, 2023

An executive summary isn’t just the beginning of your business plan – it’s your opening act, your first chance to impress potential investors, banks, clients and other stakeholders.

An effective executive summary gives decision-makers critical information about your business instantly.

Creating an executive summary is more than just a writing exercise. It requires careful crafting and strategic thinking, as well as an ability to balance the needs to be both succinct and comprehensive.

• What is an executive summary?

The executive summary is a brief introduction and summary of your business plan. It introduces your business, the problem you solve, and what you’re asking from your readers. Anyone should be able to understand your business by simply reading this section of your plan.

While structurally it is the first chapter of your plan—you should write it last. Once you know the details of your business inside and out, you will be better prepared to write this section.

• Why write an executive summary?

The business plan executive summary provides quick access to critical information from your more detailed business plan.

It is essential for informing anyone outside of your business. Many people—including investors and bankers—will only read your summary. Others will use it to decide if they should read the rest. For you, it is a snapshot of your business to reference when planning or revising your strategy.

Now if you’re writing a business plan solely for internal use you may not need an executive summary. However, some internal plans may necessitate writing an executive summary for assignment—such as for an annual operations plan or a strategic plan .

It takes some effort to do a good summary, so if you don’t have a business use in mind, don’t do it.

• How long should it be?

Business plan executive summaries should be as short as possible. Your audience has limited time and attention and they want to quickly get the details of your business plan.

Try to keep your executive summary under two pages if possible, although it can be longer if absolutely necessary. If you have a one-page business plan, you can even use that as your executive summary.

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• Executive summary outline

Two pages isn’t a ton of space to capture the full scope of your vision for the business. That means every sentence of your executive summary counts.

You will want to immediately capture the reader’s attention with a compelling introduction. Without getting too lengthy, present who you are as an organization, the problem you are seeking to solve, your skills, and why you are the best entity to solve the problem you’ve outlined.

It’s crucial to establish the need or problem your business is solving in a clear manner, in order to convince your audience that it must be addressed. Following that, recommend the solution and show its value. Be clear and firm in your recommendation, making sure to justify your cause and highlighting key reasons why your organization is the perfect fit for the solution you’re proposing. Finally, a strong conclusion is needed to reiterate the main points and wrap up the executive summary.

What to include in your executive summary

1. business overview.

A one-sentence description that explains what you do, why you do it, and how you do it.

Summarize the problem you’re solving in the market and reference any data that solidifies that there is a need.

3. Solution

Describe your product or service and how it addresses the problem you identified.

4. Target market

Who is your ideal customer? Describe who they are, how they’ll benefit, and why they’re an attainable customer base.

5. Competition

Who are your competitors? List out any primary competition as well as alternatives that your customers may consider. Include key details about their current offerings, promotions, and business strategy.

6. Your team

In your executive summary, outline your organizational structure and current team. List out brief explanations of who you and your team are, your qualifications, and what your function will be within the business. It may be valuable to also highlight any gaps in your team and how you intend to fill them. If you have potential partners or candidates in mind, briefly mention them and expand on their qualifications within your full business plan.

7. Financial summary

Highlight key aspects of your financial plan that address sales, expenses, and profitability. Try to keep these in chart or graph form to ensure the information is easy to consume and resonates visually.

8. Funding requirements

This section is only necessary if you’re seeking out funding or pitching to investors. Be sure to throw out your financing number and reasoning upfront, rather than hiding it later on in your plan. It helps investors understand your position, what you’re asking for, and how you’ll use it.

9. Milestones and traction

Add initial sales, pre-sales, newsletter sign-ups, or anything else that showcases customer interest. Outline what steps you’ve already taken to launch your business, the milestones you’ve hit, and your goals and milestones for the next month, six months, year, etc.

Executive summary vs introduction

A common mistake some people make when starting an executive summary outline is thinking it performs the same function as the introduction to their business plan. In fact, the two serve different purposes and contain different types of information, even though they are both essential.

As we’ve discussed, the executive summary is a high-level overview of the entire business plan. The introduction, by contrast, dives deeper into your business, providing information about the nature of your business, the history of your company, your mission statement, products or services, and the specific problem that your business solves.

The introduction is more detailed, and usually comes right after the executive summary.

On the other hand, the introduction gives investors or lenders – anyone reading your business plan – a sense of why they should continue reading. Think of it more as the space to tell stakeholders why you are speaking to them. An executive summary can also serve this purpose, but the introduction is meant to speak more directly to your target audience, while an executive summary could give a larger audience a general overview of your business.

Tips for writing an effective executive summary

Here are a few best practices to make writing your executive summary easier, and ultimately more effective. 

1. Think of an executive summary as your pitch

The executive summary is like an elevator pitch. You’re selling someone on reading your full plan while quickly summarizing the key points. Readers will expect it to cover certain areas of your business—such as the product, market, and financial highlights, at the very least.

While you need to include what’s necessary, you should also highlight areas that you believe will spark the reader’s interest. Remember, you’re telling the brief but convincing story of your business with this summary. Just be sure that you’re able to back it up with the right details with the rest of your business plan. 

2. Write it last

Even though the executive summary is at the beginning of a finished business plan, many experienced entrepreneurs choose to write it after everything else. In theory, this makes it easier to write since all of the information is already written out and just needs to be condensed into a shorter format. 

Now, if you’ve started with a one-page plan, this process is even easier. Just use your one-page plan as a starting point and add additional details to any sections that need it. You may even find that no changes are necessary.  

3. Keep it short

Ideally, the executive summary is short—usually just a page or two, five at the outside—and highlights the points you’ve made elsewhere in your business plan. Whatever length you land on, just focus on being brief and concise. Keep it as short as you can without missing the essentials. 

4. Keep it simple

Form follows function, so don’t overcomplicate or over-explain things. The best executive summaries are a mixture of short text, broken up with bullets and subheadings, and illustrations, such as a bar chart showing financial highlights. 

Run through a legibility test after writing your summary. Is it easy to skim through? Are the right pieces of information jumping out? If the answer to either of those questions is no, then work back through and try breaking up information or adjusting the formatting.

5. Create an executive summary outline based on importance and strengths

Organize your executive summary outline so that the most important information appears first. While there are specific components to include, there is no set order of appearance. So, use the order to show emphasis.

Lead with what you want to get the most attention, and add the rest by order of importance. For example, you may start with the problem because that can add drama and urgency that tees up the solution you provide.

Additional resources to write a great executive summary

Need more information and guidance to craft a convincing executive summary? Check out these in-depth resources and templates.

Key mistakes to avoid when writing an executive summary

Here are the critical mistakes you should avoid when writing your executive summary.

How to write your executive summary for specific audiences

The executive summary should tell your audience exactly what your business is, what it does, and why it’s worth their time. Here’s how you can take it a step further and fine-tune it for specific people.

How to develop a mission statement

Learn to put a heart behind the business and create an easy-to-understand narrative by writing a mission statement.

Executive Summary FAQ

What is in an executive summary?

The executive summary of a business plan is a brief introduction and summary of your business strategy, operations, and goals.

What is the purpose of an executive summary?

An executive summary is typically written to convince someone to read your more detailed plan. For investors, it may be the only thing they look at when deciding if they’d like to hear your pitch. Loan officers may review it to determine if your business seems financially sound. And partners, mentors, or anyone else may use it to determine if they want to be involved with your business.

How do you start an executive summary?

While there is no required order for an executive summary, it’s often recommended that you lead with the problem you’re solving or the purpose of your business. This will help frame your intent for the reader, and ideally make them more interested in learning more.

How do you write a good executive summary?

A good executive summary is brief, convincing, and easy to read. Focus on keeping things short and concise, only including necessary information. Be sure to lead and highlight anything that is especially interesting or important about your business. And after writing, spend some time reviewing and reformatting to make your summary as attractive to read as possible.

Tim Berry is the founder and chairman of Palo Alto Software , a co-founder of Borland International, and a recognized expert in business planning. He has an MBA from Stanford and degrees with honors from the University of Oregon and the University of Notre Dame. Today, Tim dedicates most of his time to blogging, teaching and evangelizing for business planning.

Table of Contents

• What to include
• Writing tips
• Additional resources

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How to Write an Executive Summary for a Report: Step By Step Guide with Examples

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So you have finally written a great comprehensive business report that took you weeks to create. You have included all the data from the different departments, compared it, done the analysis, made forecasts, and provided solutions to specific problems.

There is just one problem – the key stakeholders in the company don’t have enough time to go through the whole report.

Since the data and the KPIs that you included in the report are necessary for quality decision-making, you can see why this can become a huge issue.

Luckily, there is a way to present all of your key findings and not take too much of their time. This is done through executive summaries.

An executive summary is exactly what the name suggests – a summary. It is essentially a quick overview of all the most important metrics in the report. The purpose of this summary is to bring the attention of the highest-ranking members in the company to the most important KPIs that they will consider when making decisions.

While an executive summary is a rather short section, it doesn’t mean that it’s easy to write. You will have to pay extra attention to every single sentence in order to avoid unnecessary information.

Do you want to learn how to create an informative executive summary? This guide will show you all you need to know.

What Is an Executive Report?

What is an executive summary in a report, how long should an executive summary be, who is the audience of an executive summary, what should be included in an executive summary report, how to write an executive summary report, common mistakes to avoid when writing executive summaries, executive report examples, executive summary templates, create executive reports in databox.

Executive reports are used for keeping senior managers updated on the latest and most significant activities in the company. These reports have to be concise and accurate since they will have a huge impact on the most important business-related decisions.

Working for any sort of company requires writing different types of reports such as financial reports , marketing reports , sales reports , internal reports, and more.

What all of these reports have in common is that they are very comprehensive and typically require a lot of time to go through them –way too much time, if you ask busy managers.

They include a wealthy amount of data and a bunch of different metrics which are more useful for a particular team in the company. However, the highest-ranking members tend to be more focused on only the most essential KPIs that they need for making future decisions and strategies.

This is why executive reports come in handy. They are usually only a few pages long and they include only the most relevant details and data that incurred in a specific period.

An executive summary is the brief overview section included in a long report or document. This part of the report primarily focuses on the key topics and most important data within it. It can include an overall business goal of the company or short-term strategic objectives.

This summary is primarily useful for C-level managers who don’t have time to read the whole report but want to have an insight into the main KPIs and latest business performances.

Bank officials also may use executive summaries since it’s the quickest way for them to estimate whether your company represents a good investment opportunity.

Depending on your company’s practice, executive summaries can either be placed at the beginning of the report or as a formal section in the table of contents. 

The length of the summary depends on the type of report, but it is typically one or two pages long.

To know whether you have written a good executive summary, you can ask yourself, “Are the stakeholders going to have all the information they need to make decisions?”

If the answer is yes, you have done a good job.

There is no strict rule about how long executive summaries should be. Each company is unique which means the length will always vary. In most cases, it will depend on the size of the report/business plan.

However, a universal consensus is that it should be anywhere from one to four pages long or five to ten percent of the length of the report.

This is typically more than enough space to summarize the story behind the data and provide your stakeholders with the most important KPIs for future decision-making.

The people most interested in reading the executive summary are typically the ones who don’t have time to read the whole report and want a quick overview of the most important data and information.

These include:

• Project stakeholders – The individuals or organizations that are actively involved in a project with your company.
• Management personnel (decision-makers) – The highest-ranking employees in your company (manager, partner, general partner, etc.)
• Investors – As we said, this could be bank officials who want a quick recap of your company’s performance so they can make an easier investment decision.
• Venture capitalists – Investors who provide capital in exchange for equity stakes.
• C-level executives – The chief executives in your business.

Related : Reporting Strategy for Multiple Audiences: 6 Tips for Getting Started

The components of your executive summary depend on what is included in the overall larger document. Executive summary elements may also vary depending on the type of document (business plan, project, report, etc.), but there are several components that are considered universal.

These are the main elements you should include:

• Methods of analyzing the problem
• Solutions to the problem
• The ‘Why Now’ segment

Well-defined conclusion

The purpose of the summary should typically be included in the introduction as an opening statement. Explain what you aim to achieve with the document and communicate the value of your desired objective.

This part is supposed to grab your reader’s attention, so make sure they pay extra attention when writing it.

Problems are an unavoidable element in modern-day businesses, even in the most successful companies.

The second thing your executive summary needs to outline is what specific problem you are dealing with. It could be anything from product plans and customer feedback to sales revenue and marketing strategies.

Define the problems clearly so all the members know which areas need fixing.

3. Methods of analyzing the problem

Problem analysis methods are key for identifying the causes of the issue.

While figuring out the problems and the methods to solve them is immensely important, you shouldn’t overlook the things that caused them. This will help you from avoiding similar issues in the future.

4. Solutions to the problem

Now that you’ve introduced the stakeholders to the problems, it’s time to move on to your solutions. Think of a few different ways that could solve the issue and include as many details as you can.

5. The ‘Why Now’ segment

This is one of the most important parts of your executive summary.

The ‘Why Now’ segment showcases why the problem needs to be solved in a timely manner. You don’t want the readers to get the impression that there is plenty of time to fix the issue.

By displaying urgency in your summary, your report will have a much bigger impact.

One of the ways to display urgency visually is by adding performance benchmarks to your report. In case your business is not performing well as other companies within your industry, only one image showcasing which metrics are below the median could make a compelling case for the reader.

For example, if you have discovered that your churn rate is much higher than for an average SaaS company, this may be a good indication that you have issues with poor customer service, poor marketing, pricing issues, potentially outdated product features, etc.

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Lastly, you should end your executive summary with a well-defined conclusion.

Make sure to include a recap of the problems, solutions, and the overall most important KPIs from the document.

Okay, so you understand the basics of executive summaries and why they are so important. However, you still aren’t sure how to write one.

Don’t worry.

Here are some of the best practices you can use to create amazing executive summaries that will impress your key stakeholders and high-ranking members.

Write it Last

Grab their attention, use appropriate language, talk strategy, include forecasts, highlight funding needs, make it short.

The most natural way to write your executive summary is by writing it at the end of your report/business plan.

This is because you will already have gone through all the most important information and data that should later be included.

A good suggestion is to take notes of all the significant KPIs that you think should be incorporated in the summary, it will make it easier for you to later categorize the data and you will have a clearer overview of the key parts of the report.

You may think that you already know which data you are going to include, but once you wrap up your report, you will probably run into certain things that you forgot to implement. It’s much easier to create an executive summary with all the data segmented in one place, than to rewrite it later.

While your primary goal when creating the executive summary is to make it informative, you also have to grab the attention of your readers so that you can motivate them to read the rest of the document.

Once they finish reading the last few sentences of the summary, the audience should be looking forward to checking out the remanding parts to get the full story.

If you are having trouble with finding ways to capture the reader’s attention, you can ask some of your colleagues from the sales department to lend a hand. After all, that’s their specialty.

One more important element is the type of language you use in the summary. Keep in mind who will be reading the summary, your language should be adjusted to a group of executives.

Make the summary understandable and avoid using complicated terms that may cause confusion, your goal is to feed the stakeholders with important information that will affect their decision-making.

This doesn’t only refer to the words that you use, the way in which you provide explanation should also be taken into consideration. People reading the report should be able to easily and quickly understand the main pain points that you highlighted.

You should have a specific part in your executive summary where you will focus on future strategies. This part should include information regarding your project, target market, program, and the problems that you think should be solved as soon as possible.

Also, you should provide some useful insights into the overall industry or field that your business operates in. Showcase some of the competitive advantages of your company and specific marketing insights that you think the readers would find interesting.

Related : What Is Strategic Reporting? 4 Report Examples to Get Inspiration From

Make one of the sections revolve around financial and sales forecasts for the next 1-3 years. Provide details of your breakeven points, such as where the expenses/revenues are equal and when you expect certain profits from your strategies.

This practice is mainly useful for business plans, but the same principle can be applied to reports. You can include predictions on how your overall objectives and goals will bring profit to the company.

Related : How Lone Fir Creative Uses Databox to Forecast, Set, & Achieve Agency & Client Goals

Don’t forget to talk about the funding needs for your projects since there is a high chance that investors will find their way to the executive summary as well.

You can even use a quotation from an influential figure that supports your upcoming projects. Include the costs that will incur but also provide profitability predictions that will persuade the investors to fund your projects.

While your report should include all of the most important metrics and data, aim for maximum conciseness.

Don’t include any information that may be abundant and try to keep the executive summary as short as possible. Creating a summary that takes up dozens of pages will lose its original purpose.

With a concise summary and clear communication of your messages, your readers will have an easy time understanding your thoughts and then take them into consideration.

Also, one last tip is to use a positive tone throughout the summary. You want your report to exude confidence and reassure the readers.

PRO TIP: How Well Are Your Marketing KPIs Performing?

Like most marketers and marketing managers, you want to know how well your efforts are translating into results each month. How much traffic and new contact conversions do you get? How many new contacts do you get from organic sessions? How are your email campaigns performing? How well are your landing pages converting? You might have to scramble to put all of this together in a single report, but now you can have it all at your fingertips in a single Databox dashboard.

Our Marketing Overview Dashboard includes data from Google Analytics 4 and HubSpot Marketing with key performance metrics like:

• Sessions . The number of sessions can tell you how many times people are returning to your website. Obviously, the higher the better.
• New Contacts from Sessions . How well is your campaign driving new contacts and customers?
• Marketing Performance KPIs . Tracking the number of MQLs, SQLs, New Contacts and similar will help you identify how your marketing efforts contribute to sales.
• Email Performance . Measure the success of your email campaigns from HubSpot. Keep an eye on your most important email marketing metrics such as number of sent emails, number of opened emails, open rate, email click-through rate, and more.
• Blog Posts and Landing Pages . How many people have viewed your blog recently? How well are your landing pages performing?

Now you can benefit from the experience of our Google Analytics and HubSpot Marketing experts, who have put together a plug-and-play Databox template that contains all the essential metrics for monitoring your leads. It’s simple to implement and start using as a standalone dashboard or in marketing reports, and best of all, it’s free!

You can easily set it up in just a few clicks – no coding required.

To set up the dashboard, follow these 3 simple steps:

Step 1: Get the template 

Step 2: Connect your HubSpot and Google Analytics 4 accounts with Databox. 

Step 3: Watch your dashboard populate in seconds.

No one expects you to become an expert executive summary writer overnight. Learning how to create great and meaningful summaries will inevitably take some time.

With the above-mentioned best practices in mind, you should also pay attention to avoiding certain mistakes that could reduce the value of your summaries.

Here are some examples.

Don’t use jargon

Avoid going into details, the summary should be able to stand alone, don’t forget to proofread.

From project stakeholders to C-level executives, everyone should be able to easily understand and read the information you gather in your summary.

Keep in mind, you are probably much more familiar with some of the technical terms that your departments use since you are closer to the daily work and individual tasks than your stakeholders.

Read your summary once again after you finish it to make sure there are no jargons you forgot to elaborate on.

Remember, your summary should be as short as possible, but still include all the key metrics and KPIs. There is no reason to go into details of specific projects, due dates, department performances, etc.

When creating the summary, ask yourself twice whether the information you included truly needs to be there.

Of course, there are certain details that bring value to the summary, but learn how to categorize the useful ones from the unnecessary ones.

While you will know your way around the project, that doesn’t apply to the readers.

After wrapping up the summary, go over it once again to see whether it can stand on its own. This means checking out if there is any sort of context that the readers will need in order to understand the summary.

If the answer is yes, you will have to redo the parts that can’t be understood by first-time readers.

Your executive summary is prone to changes, so making a typo isn’t the end of the world, you can always go back and fix it.

However, it’s not a bad idea to ask one of your colleagues to proofread it as well, just so you have an additional set of eyes.

Using reporting tools such as dashboards for executive reports can provide you with a birds-eye view of your company’s most important KPIs and data.

These dashboards work as visualization tools that will make all the important metrics much more understandable to your internal stakeholders.

Since executive reports on their own don’t include any visual elements such as graphs or charts, these dashboards basically grant them superpowers.

Executive reporting dashboards also make the decision-making process easier since there won’t be any misunderstandings regarding the meaning of the data.

Not only will you be able to gather the data in real-time, but you can also connect different sources onto the dashboard can use the visuals for performance comparisons.

Interested in giving executive report dashboards a try? Let’s check out some of the best examples.

Marketing Performance Dashboard

Customer support performance dashboard, financial overview dashboard, saas management dashboard, sales kpi dashboard.

To stay on top of your key user acquisition metrics, such as visit to leads conversion rates, email traffic, blog traffic, and more, you can use this Marketing Performance Dashboard .

You can pull in data from advanced tools such as HubSpot Marketing and Google Analytics to get a full overview of how your website generates leads.

Some of the things you will learn through this dashboard are:

• Which traffic sources are generating the most amount of leads
• How to track which number of users are new to your website
• How to compare the traffic you are getting from your email with blog traffic
• How to stay on top of lead generation goals each month
• How to be sure that your marketing activities are paying off

The key metrics included are bounce rate, new users, page/session, pageview, and average session duration.

You can use the Customer Support Performance Dashboard to track the overall performance of your customer service and check out how efficient individual agents are.

This simple and customizable dashboard will help you stay in touch with new conversation numbers, open/closed conversations by teammates, number of leads, and much more.

Also, you will get the answers to questions such as:

• How many new conversations did my customer support agents deal with yesterday/last week/last month?
• How many conversations are currently in progress?
• In which way are customer conversations tagged on Intercom?
• How to track the number of leads that the support team is generating?
• What is the best way to measure the performance of my customer support team?

Some of the key metrics are leads, open conversations, new conversations, tags by tag name, closed conversations, and more.

Want to know how much income your business generated last month? How to measure the financial health of your business? How about figuring out the best way to track credit card purchases?

You can track all of these things and more by using the Financial Overview Dashboard .

This free customizable dashboard will help you gain an insight into all of your business’s financial operations, cash flow, bank accounts, sales, expenses, and plenty more.

Understanding your company from a financial standpoint is one of the most important ingredients of good decision-making.

With key metrics such as gross profit, net income, open invoices, total expenses, and dozens more – all gathered in one financial reporting software , you will have no problems staying on top of your financial activities.

Use this SaaS Management Dashboard to have a clear overview of your business’s KPIs in real-time. This customizable dashboard will help you stay competitive in the SaaS industry by providing you with comprehensive data that can you can visualize, making it more understandable.

You will be able to:

• See how your company is growing on an annual basis
• Have a detailed outline of your weakest and strongest months
• Determine which strategies are most efficient in driving revenue

The key metrics included in this dashboard are recurring revenue, churn by type, MRR changes, and customer changes.

Do you want to monitor your sales team’s output and outcomes? Interested in tracking average deal sizes, number of won deals, new deals created, and more?

This Sales KPI Dashboard can help you do just that.

It serves as a perfect tool for sales managers that are looking for the best way to create detailed overviews of their performances. It also helps achieve sales manager goals for the pre-set time periods.

By connecting your HubSpot account to this customizable dashboard, you can learn:

• What’s the average deal size
• The number of open, closed, and lost deals each month
• How much revenue you can expect from the new deals
• How your business is progressing towards the overall sales goals

Although you probably understand what your executive summary should include by now, you may still need a bit of help with creating a clear outline to follow.

We thought about that too. Here are some template examples that will help you create executive summaries for different kinds of business needs.

Here is an executive summary template for a business plan:

• [Company profile (with relevant history)]
• [Company contact details]
• [Description of products and/or services]
• [Unique proposition]
• [Competitive advantage]
• [Intellectual property]
• [Development status]
• [Market opportunity]
• [Target market]
• [Competitors]
• [Funding needs]
• [Potential price of goods]
• [Projected profit margins for year one and two]
• [Summarize main points]

Executive summary template for marketing plan:

• [Product description]
• [Unique customer characteristics]
• [Customer spending habits]
• [Relationship to product]
• [Access channels]
• [Value and credibility of product]
• [Product competitive advantage]
• [Creative outlook]
• [Goal statement]
• [Forecasted cost]
• [Next week]
• [Next month]

Executive summary template for a research report

• [Project topic]
• [Name | Date]
• [Report introduction]
• [Background]
• [Research methods]
• [Conclusions]
• [Recommendations]

Executive summary template for project executive

• [Project name]
• [Program name]
• [Project lead]
• [Prepared by]
• [Project milestones]
• [Status overviews]
• [New requests]
• [Issues summary]
• [Project notes]

For the longest time, writing executive reports has been seen as a grueling and time-consuming process that will require many sleepless nights to get the job done right.

While there is plenty of truth to this, modern automated reporting software has revolutionized these writing nightmares.

Databox is one of those tools.

With Databox, you will be able to connect data from multiple sources into one comprehensive dashboard. Also, you are going to gain access to different types of charts and graphs that you can use for data visualization and make the report much more understandable to the readers.

Using a modernized tool like Databox will provide you with a faster, more accurate, and more efficient reporting process.

This advanced software allows you easily create your own customizable reports that can be adjusted in real-time as soon as new data emerges.

Who says executive reporting has to be a tedious process? Sign up for our free trial and see how easy creating executive reports can be. 

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How to Write the Management Summary

Overview of the Management Summary Section of a Business Plan

Alyssa Gregory is an entrepreneur, writer, and marketer with 20 years of experience in the business world. She is the founder of the Small Business Bonfire, a community for entrepreneurs, and has authored more than 2,500 articles for The Balance and other popular small business websites.

The management summary section of your business plan describes how your business is structured, introduces who is involved, outlines external resources and explains how the business is managed.

This section backs up all of the data you've included elsewhere in the business plan by demonstrating the expertise of the team and resources behind your company.

Example of a Management Summary Section of a Business Plan

For an example of a management summary section, see the Coffee Kiosk Business Plan .

What Does a Management Summary Section of a Business Plan Include?

The management summary section covers all of the relevant information about personnel, anticipated growth and how the company is organized. This section can be broken down into the following parts:

• Business Structure:  What business structure will your company take, a sole proprietorship , an LLC, a partnership or a corporation? This determination will form the basis for the rest of the areas in this section.
• Management Team:  Who will oversee the company? If you're forming a corporation, who will make up the Board of Directors ? An organizational chart can be a good visual to use to illustrate this element.
• Management Team Gaps:  What are your anticipated personnel needs? How will each role, once filled, contribute to the success of your company?
• Other Personnel:  Aside from your Board and employees, what external support will help the business function? This could include attorneys, accountants, public relations professionals, administrative support and even an external advisory board.
• Personnel Growth Plan:  What are the salaries of each person to be involved with the company for the next three years? This should provide a bottom line cost for personnel expenditures.

Tips for Writing the Management Summary Section of a Business Plan

The management summary helps the reader understand who is behind the company and what personnel resources may be needed in the future. Here are a few tips for ensuring that the management summary gives the reader the information they need to accurately analyze your company's potential.

Explain the Intricacies

Very rarely does a team function exactly as outlined in an organizational chart. Describe how key personnel will interact and how roles may cross to provide a well-rounded picture of the overall management.

Relate Personnel to Business Activities

Your goal should be to directly attach personnel to an individual role and the overall success of the company. You can accomplish this by relating the specific experience of each person to the role they will play in the business.

Don't Include the Kitchen Sink

In the management summary section, focus only on the most relevant biographical information that is most important to your business plan. Put the full bios in your appendix.

Let the Team Review

When you have drafted the summary, give your key personnel a chance to review it. This will give you a chance to confirm that you've accurately described the roles and responsibilities as understood by the team.

How to Write an Effective Executive Summary: Examples and Tips

In the world of startups, first impressions can make or break opportunities. Founders, imagine presenting your vision to potential investors, only to lose their interest within minutes. The issue? A lackluster executive summary . But there’s hope. With the right approach, you can captivate your audience from the get-go, ensuring they’re eager to learn more. 

Dive in to discover a proven strategy that transforms your summary from mundane to magnetic, opening doors to success.

What is an Executive Summary?

An Executive Summary is a brief and concise summary of a longer document, report, or proposal. It provides an overview of the main points, key findings, and recommendations, allowing the reader to quickly understand the purpose and content of the document without having to read the entire text. It is often used in business plans , research reports, and other documents to provide a snapshot of the content to busy executives or stakeholders.

Source:  Google

When Should You Employ an Executive Summary? 

An executive summary is useful whenever a document becomes lengthy or intricate, requiring a concise overview to assist busy executives and decision-makers grasp its essence.

Common scenarios where an executive summary is valuable include:

• Business plans
• Research papers
• Marketing plans
• Investment proposals

Varieties of Executive Summaries 

Before delving into the steps of composing an executive summary, let’s briefly explore the diverse types you might encounter:

• Business Plan Executive Summary:

A concise outline of a company’s business plan, spotlighting its mission, market analysis, products/services, financial projections , and growth strategies.

• Project Proposal Executive Summary:

A condensed rendition of a project proposal, outlining its objectives, scope, methodology, budget , and anticipated outcomes.

• Research Report Executive Summary:

A summary of an extensive research report, delivering an overview of the study, methodology, key findings, and recommendations.

• Marketing Plan Executive Summary:

An overview of a marketing plan, encompassing market analysis, target audience, marketing strategies , and projected results.

Components of an Executive Summary

The executive summary must be brief, usually limited to one or two pages.

It should encompass:

If your plan involves product manufacturing, consider incorporating a Products and Services section. Provide as much relevant information as possible within a well-organized and concise document.

Before We Begin!

For startup enterprises, the executive summary assumes paramount importance. The journey toward success necessitates an in-depth understanding of the target market, coupled with meticulous research. The executive summary is like a storage place that holds all the important information from the research. It shows how much thought and effort the startup put into planning. This makes the startup more appealing to potential investors. This could lead to getting the funding needed to start and grow the startup.  

Dos and Don’ts of Writing an Executive Summary

A Single-page Document of Executive Summary could Encompass:

• Elevator pitch
• Simplified description of your services (skip the convoluted “global leader” language)
• Team introduction with images – encompassing board members and advisors
• Distinctive aspects of your solution
• Target market details (economic buyer and estimated numbers)
• Strategy for expansion (go-to-market approach)
• Initial progress and early accomplishments, including positive user feedback
• Notable clientele list, if applicable
• Business model clarification
• Future company trajectory and ambitious vision
• Key factors that set your company apart Tailored to the audience:
• Seeking funding? Mention the required amount and its allocation – provide contact details.
• Searching for talent? Direct applicants where to apply.
• Targeting customers? Indicate where to make purchases.
• Needing beta users? Provide registration information.
• Comprehensive contact information, including email, website, online platforms, and phone number. Also, specify your company’s location.

Below are some one pager executive summary report examples : 

(Click to access examples)

(Startup Executive Summary Examples)

(Templates for startups)

Your summary has to fit all the important things investors need to decide on just one page. Usually, this includes:

• Saying why your company is special
• Explaining what your product or service is
• Talking about the people who will buy your product and the market it’s in
• Telling how your business works and what you’re planning for the future
• Showing how much money you think you’ll make
• Saying how much money you need
• Sharing any other interesting things about your company and the people who started it

Making your startup’s executive summary can help you understand what your company is good at and where it needs to improve and it can help you talk about the things that investors care about when you’re trying to get their support.

Crafting an Effective Startup Executive Summary: A Comprehensive Step-by-Step Guide

• Craft a Compelling Introduction: 

Begin your executive summary with an attention-grabbing introduction that not only introduces your startup but also evokes curiosity and interest. Use powerful language and vivid imagery to captivate the reader from the outset. 

Let’s take the example of a startup dedicated to revolutionizing botanical perennials for the natural supplement industry:

“Botanical Bounty is an existing farm dedicated to the production of botanical perennials for the natural supplement industry and plant nurseries. The farm has existed for two years now, initially operating as a hobby for the owner who recently decided to turn the farm into a profit-making business. Due to the market’s increasing interest in naturally grown products, the farm plans to increase production and become a full-time venture. The farm’s clear advantage is its dedication to this niche market, which gives it a competitive edge.” Source: Bplans

• Address the Problem and Propose the Solution: 

Delve into the heart of the issue your startup seeks to address. Provide comprehensive context for the problem, emphasizing its relevance and impact. Subsequently, unveil your innovative solution that promises to alleviate this pain point. 

Let’s look at a down-to-earth example of a startup focusing on improving food delivery:

“In today’s busy world, getting food delivered quickly is a challenge. People want their meals fast, but sometimes the food arrives cold or late. Our startup steps in with a simple yet effective solution. We’re introducing smart, heated delivery bags that keep food warm and fresh from the restaurant to your doorstep. No more lukewarm meals or frustrating delays. With our heated bags, you can enjoy your food just as it should be—hot and delicious.”

• Introduce the Key Team Members: 

In the journey of launching a startup, building an effective management team is paramount. This team will drive your day-to-day operations and long-term strategic direction.

Your management team must possess a diverse range of skills and experiences to harmoniously contribute to achieving your business goals. Ensure your startup business plan’s executive summary includes a detailed segment about your management team, highlighting their roles and responsibilities.

This section should encompass:

• Organizational structure and hierarchy
• Role and responsibilities of each team member
• Experience and qualifications of team members
• Collaboration dynamics among team members
• Management style adopted by the team
• Decision-making processes within the team

Your management team’s section in your business plan holds significance in assuring potential investors of the strength and potential of your startup. Invest time and effort in crafting a compelling and robust presentation of your management team’s strengths.

Example from an eco-friendly home products startup: 

“Introducing the powerhouse behind our startup, the embodiment of our mission. Emma Parker, our visionary CEO, seamlessly combines expertise in sustainable design with a strong commitment to the environment. Mark Ramirez, our CFO, harmonizes financial acumen with a deep passion for sustainability. Lisa Chen, our R&D Head, infuses a dedication to green technology into every innovative product. Together, our team drives us towards a future that’s greener and brighter.”

• Expound Your Business Model: 

Articulate your startup’s underlying philosophy and mission. Having an incredible idea isn’t enough without a strong business plan. In this part, you’ll present to investors your detailed plans and the necessary business skills to put them into action.

If you’ve already written a business plan, this is where you’ll extract the key details. If not, take a break from the executive summary and draft one. You must have a business plan before you can approach investors.

Condense your business plan into a few short sentences covering:

• Your revenue strategy (selling units, subscriptions, hourly services, etc.)
• The potential for your business to grow over time
• A brief timeline outlining your future goals and a clear schedule for achieving them
• Your team composition. Are there industry experts, academics, award winners, or notable advisors/investors?
• Avoid diving into the nitty-gritty details; that’s what the pitch meeting is for. Provide a broad overview that demonstrates you have a solid plan.

Highlight how your customer-centric approach ensures seamless alignment between your offerings and target audience. 

Here’s an example: 

EcoTech Innovations Executive Summary:

EcoTech Innovations is positioned for success through a robust revenue strategy focused on selling waste-to-energy technology units to commercial partners. Our scalable solution offers a compelling value proposition, reducing waste disposal costs and carbon emissions. As market demand grows for sustainable solutions, our technology’s potential to disrupt and lead is significant.

With a clear roadmap, our vision is to achieve nationwide adoption within three years, targeting key sectors including hospitality, manufacturing, and municipalities. Year one focuses on technology validation and partnership establishment, followed by accelerated growth and expanding product offerings in year two. By year three, we aim to solidify market leadership and explore international expansion.

Our diverse team includes industry veterans, technology experts, and environmental specialists. Leveraging our collective experience, we are well-positioned to execute our strategic goals and navigate industry challenges. Notable advisors and investors further strengthen our foundation and endorse our innovative approach.

In summary, EcoTech Innovations is poised for sustainable growth, capitalizing on our pioneering waste-to-energy technology and a dedicated team committed to driving positive environmental impact.

• Explore the Market Landscape: 

Embark on a comprehensive exploration of the market terrain your startup navigates. Present a thorough analysis of competitors, similar products, and current market trends. Leverage data to substantiate your understanding of the landscape and establish the viability of your startup’s concept. 

For instance, if your startup focuses on sustainable fashion, consider competitor pricing, sustainable materials, and customer preferences.

Example: 

Our market analysis reveals a compelling landscape for sustainable fashion. A comprehensive study of competitors showcases that our pricing strategy aligns well, focusing on affordability while using eco-friendly materials. The demand for sustainable materials is rising, as evidenced by a 25% increase in consumer preference for eco-conscious clothing in the past year. By tapping into this trend and leveraging our unique product offerings, we position ourselves as a frontrunner in the sustainable fashion sector.

• Outline Strategies Against Competitors: 

Engage in a strategic discussion of how your startup plans to distinguish itself from competitors. Showcase your unique value proposition (UVP) and outline tailored strategies that position your venture as an attractive alternative. Highlight your competitive advantages, whether through innovation, branding, or distribution channels. Using the refillable sustainable fashion startup, elaborate on your proactive social media campaign to amplify brand visibility and engagement.

Our startup stands out in the competitive sustainable fashion market through a refillable model. This unique approach combines eco-friendly clothing with convenience. Our branding emphasizes this innovation, supported by partnerships with local artisans for distinct designs. We’ll use a hybrid distribution model, including online sales and pop-up stores, and drive brand visibility through a dynamic social media campaign. This positions us as a leader in stylish and responsible fashion choices.

• Detail Startup Expenditures: 

Present a comprehensive breakdown of anticipated startup expenditures. Categorize costs associated with research and development, production, marketing, distribution, and any other relevant areas. Provide transparency in your financial planning , demonstrating a meticulous approach to resource allocation. In the context of launching a mobile app, outline expenses spanning app development, design, user acquisition, server costs, and ongoing maintenance. Show where you stand financially, how much funding you seek, and how you intend to utilize it. This can be done concisely with a few bullet points:

• Your current financial situation: How much money you’ve raised in previous rounds, your monthly operating costs.

The amount of funding you seek, both overall and from the specific investor. Strategically decide how much to ask for.

• The allocation of funds: Break it down into percentages if you’d like, such as 30% for product development, 20% for marketing, etc.

This section is crucial. Avoid overwhelming the reader with excessive text. Summarize the essential figures using a few bullet points.

Startup Expenditure Breakdown for Mobile App Launch:

• App Development
• User Interface Design
• User Acquisition
• Social Media Advertising
• Server Costs
• Backend Infrastructure
• App Store Fees
• Content Delivery Network
• Legal and Compliance
• Ongoing Maintenance

Financial Snapshot:

• Raised $500,000 in Seed Round
• Monthly Operating Costs: $25,000
• Funding Sought: $1,000,000
• Product Development: 40%
• Marketing and User Acquisition: 25%
• Operations and Infrastructure: 20%
• Legal and Compliance: 10%
• Contingency: 5%
• Discuss Return on Investment (ROI):

Conclude by outlining the mechanisms through which investors can expect returns on their investment. Elaborate on various ROI avenues, such as equity ownership, profit-sharing, or interest payments. 

Align your ROI strategy with your startup’s financial model and investor preferences, underscoring your commitment to delivering value. 

Engage in a candid discussion on ROI terms and engage potential investors in a dialogue to tailor the approach to mutual satisfaction.

Delivering Returns on Investment (ROI) for Investors:

At [Startup Name], we are committed to ensuring that our investors realize substantial returns on their investment. Our ROI strategy is carefully designed to align with our startup’s financial model and investor preferences, demonstrating our dedication to delivering value.

We offer multiple avenues for ROI, each tailored to provide investors with attractive and mutually beneficial opportunities:

• Equity Ownership: Investors will have the opportunity to own a stake in our company, allowing them to benefit directly from our growth and success. As our startup thrives, so will our investors’ equity value.
• Profit-Sharing: We believe in sharing success. Our investors can expect a share of the profits generated by our operations. This approach directly ties their ROI to the performance of our business.
• Interest Payments: For those who prefer a more structured approach, we offer the option of receiving regular interest payments on their investment. This provides consistent returns over time.

Our ROI terms are open for discussion, reflecting our commitment to transparency and mutual satisfaction. We encourage potential investors to engage in a candid dialogue with us, allowing us to tailor the ROI approach to their preferences and financial goals.

At [Startup Name], we see our investors as partners on our journey to success. By choosing us, investors are not only investing in a promising venture but also becoming integral contributors to our growth story.

Invest with us, and together, we’ll shape a future of innovation, growth, and impressive returns.

• Perfect Your Presentation

How you present your executive summary matters just as much as the content. If you can’t get investors to open and read it, your pitch might fall flat. 

Spend time crafting your sentences. Keep the pitch brief, professional, and direct. Explain who you are and why your company deserves their interest. Give them a compelling reason to read your summary.

Some Real Life Examples of Executive Summaries: 

• Read Jeff Bezos’ 1997 shareholder letter.
• Read Facebook’s 2012 IPO prospectus.
• Read Tesla’s 2021 impact report foreword.

Examples of Effective Executive Summaries in different contexts: 

• Business Plan Executive Summary Example:

Our startup, EcoLife Innovations, aims to revolutionize the consumer market with our cutting-edge eco-friendly household product. Designed to reduce plastic waste, our product addresses the growing demand for sustainable solutions. Market research reveals a 20% year-on-year increase in eco-conscious consumers. Our experienced team of engineers and marketers is poised to capture this market.

Key Points:

• Unique Product: Our patented design offers a reusable and durable alternative to single-use plastics, resonating with environmentally conscious consumers.
• Target Market: Millennial and Gen Z consumers seeking eco-friendly alternatives, supported by a $10 billion market opportunity.
• Financial Projections: Projected revenue of $5 million in the first year, driven by a robust marketing strategy and strategic partnerships.
• Sustainability Impact: Our product contributes to reducing plastic waste by 50%, aligning with global sustainability goals.

By investing in EcoLife Innovations, you’re supporting an innovative solution to a pressing environmental challenge while tapping into a lucrative market. Join us in making a lasting impact while generating impressive returns.

[Additional Contact Information and Call to Action ]

• Project Proposal Executive Summary Example:

Our proposed community development initiative, “EmpowerLocal,” aims to uplift underserved neighborhoods by creating vocational training centers. We begin with a powerful story: A single mother’s journey from unemployment to self-sufficiency through our pilot program. This initiative targets high unemployment rates, offering skill-building workshops and job placement services.

• Program Objectives: Reduce unemployment by 30% within two years through vocational training and job placement support.
• Methodology: Establish three training centers across targeted neighborhoods, partnering with local businesses for job placement.
• Community Impact: By empowering residents with marketable skills, we contribute to economic growth and sustainable livelihoods.
• Sustainability: A self-sustaining model achieved through partnerships with local businesses and government agencies.

Your support for EmpowerLocal will make a tangible difference in the lives of underserved individuals, fostering economic growth and community resilience. Join us in creating a brighter future for our neighborhoods.

[Additional Contact Information and Call to Action]

Executive Summary Tools:

These tools offer templates, guides, and features to help you structure and format your executive summary effectively. Be sure to explore these tools to find the best fit your needs. Here are some tools available on the web that can assist you in crafting an effective executive summary:

• LivePlan: 

Source: LivePlan.com

It offers templates and examples that help you craft a professional executive summary. It guides you through the process of creating a business plan, including the executive summary, making it easier to organize your thoughts and present your business idea clearly.

Source: Canva.com

Although primarily a design tool, Canva offers templates for business documents, including executive summaries. You can customize the template with your own text, colors, and branding to create a visually appealing executive summary.

Source: Upmetrics.co

This is a business planning tool that provides templates and examples for various sections of a business plan, including the executive summary. It helps you structure your executive summary and ensures that you include all the necessary information.

Source: Bplan.com

It offers a wide range of sample business plans from various industries, which can provide you with inspiration and guidance on how to craft your own executive summary.

Source: Venngage.com

This is a design tool that offers templates for various business documents, including executive summaries. You can customize the template to create a visually appealing and professional executive summary.

Source: Pandadoc.com

This tool offers document automation features that can help you create an executive summary quickly and efficiently. You can use their templates or create your own document from scratch.

• Tarkenton GoSmallBiz:

Source: GoSmallBiz.com

This is a comprehensive business planning tool that guides you through the entire process of creating a business plan, including the executive summary. It offers templates, examples, and tips to help you craft an effective executive summary.

Source: Bizplan.com

This is an online business planning tool that guides you through the process of creating a business plan, including the executive summary. It offers templates and examples to help you structure your executive summary effectively.

Tailoring the Executive Summary to Different Audiences

Crafting an effective executive summary involves more than just summarizing the report’s content; it also requires tailoring the tone, language, and content to cater to specific target audiences. Recognizing that different stakeholders have varying interests and priorities, a customized approach ensures that the executive summary resonates with each group. Here’s how the tone, language, and content of an executive summary may vary based on the target readers:

Investors: 

When presenting to potential investors, the executive summary should emphasize the startup’s growth potential, market opportunity, and financial projections. The tone should be confident and visionary, showcasing the startup’s potential to generate returns on investment. The language should be business-focused and highlight key metrics such as revenue, profit margins, and market share. Additionally, the executive summary should emphasize the startup’s competitive advantage and the scalability of its business model.

Stakeholders: 

For stakeholders such as board members or internal teams, the executive summary should provide a comprehensive overview of the startup’s performance, challenges, and strategic initiatives. The tone should be balanced and informative, conveying both achievements and areas for improvement. The language should be professional and technical, using industry-specific terms that resonate with the stakeholders’ expertise. The content should address key operational metrics, innovation efforts, and the alignment of strategies with the startup’s mission and values.

Clients: 

When targeting clients or customers, the executive summary should focus on the value proposition of the startup’s products or services. The tone should be customer-centric and solution-oriented, highlighting how the startup addresses clients’ pain points. The language should be accessible and free of jargon, making it easy for clients to understand the benefits they can expect. The content should showcase real-world examples, testimonials, and case studies demonstrating the startup’s track record of delivering value to its clients.

Partnerships and Collaborators: 

In the context of potential partnerships or collaborations, the executive summary should emphasize the mutual benefits and synergies. The tone should be collaborative and highlight how the partnership aligns with the goals of both parties. The language should emphasize shared objectives and the potential for innovation through collaboration. The content should showcase how the startup’s strengths complement the partner’s capabilities and how the combined efforts can lead to a win-win scenario.

Wrapping Up

The executive summary showcases your skill in summarizing your startup’s potential in a short and engaging way. It’s the vital link that connects curiosity to belief, capturing the core of your venture. Your executive summary isn’t just an introduction; it’s a build-up of potential, inviting stakeholders, partners, and investors to accompany you on this transformative journey. 

As you embark on this path, may your executive summary pave the road for a symphony of accomplishments, echoing the triumphant successes of your startup’s future.

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About the author: Aqsa Sheraz

Aqsa Sheraz, an accomplished writer, possesses a diverse set of skills that bring a captivating edge to her work. With a Bachelor's degree in psychology, she seamlessly integrates her understanding of human behavior with expertise in HR, Digital Marketing, SEO, and SMM. By leveraging this unique combination of talents, Aqsa expertly crafts content that not only yields tangible results but also captivates and resonates with the target audience. Her strategic optimization techniques strategically enhance brand impact, ensuring her content is both impactful and engaging.

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How to Write an Executive Summary in 10 Steps

Written by: Unenabasi Ekeruke

Whether you're starting a new business or growing an existing one, creating business or project plans puts you in the driving seat for success. According to a study, creating a detailed plan and sticking to it gives you a 30% greater chance of growing and doubling your business.

But how do you craft a plan that captures the attention of investors or stakeholders? Well, it all starts with a compelling executive summary that captures the major points of your plan at a glance.

An executive summary is the most important element of your proposal or project plan. It's the first thing your audience will read and could be the ticket to getting that all-important meeting and funding for your project.

Not sure how to write an effective executive summary for your next business document? We've got you covered.

This article will dig deeper into what executive summaries are, why you need them and how to write one for your business or project.

Before we jump right in, here's a short selection of 8 easy-to-edit executive summary templates you can edit, share and download with Visme. View more templates below:

Table of Contents

What is an executive summary, why you need an executive summary, when to use an executive summary, how long does an executive summary need to be, how to write an executive summary (+ examples).

An executive summary is a brief overview of a larger document. It's usually the first thing readers see before they dive into the other part of your reports, proposals and other business documents.

Essentially, an executive summary is a critical document or section that precedes documents like:

• Project status reports
• Business plans
• Project plans
• Project proposals
• Financial reports
• Academic reports
• Business cases
• Environmental studies
• Market surveys
• Research documents and more

For example, suppose a company performs market research to decide whether to move in a different strategic direction. In that case, they can write a business plan to articulate findings and suggest the next steps.

The business plan would begin with an executive summary like the one in the template below.

When seeking new partners, business loans or funding round for a startup, your executive summary will precede your business plan. It sums up the opportunity, business and execution plan in a brief document.

This is your key to getting initial funding or subsequent investments. And only an effective executive summary will unlock that door or get investors to listen to you.

Executive summaries are also an important component of project proposals or project status reports. They provide a general overview of the project activities, progress, setbacks and next steps.

After your table of contents comes your executive summary. It should briefly:

• Highlight the purpose of the report
• Analyze the problem and solution
• Spotlight key figures and
• Describe results, conclusions or recommendations

The scope and length of your executive summary will depend on what you're summarizing. But generally, it could be one to three pages long.

Regardless of the type or purpose of your document, the executive summary should include the most important information. That's because it could be the only part of your report investors, managers or prospects may read.

Writing a compelling executive summary will enable your readers to digest the entire content without reading it all.

For example, CEOs, managers and supervisors engage in a ton of business activities. Hence, they're pressed for time. So, reading lengthy reports may become tricky, especially when they need the information to make quick decisions.

While writing your executive summary, include everything your readers need to make decisions. Best of all, it should grab attention and convince readers that it's worth their time to read the entire document.

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Your executive summary is the most important element of your project report. And how you write it can make or break your business or project plan.

The primary goal of your executive summary is to get your audience sold on your business proposal. But you need a clear and concise one to capture readers' attention and get them excited about your plan.

On the flip side, many things could go wrong with poorly written executive summaries. It can easily turn off stakeholders and hamper your chances of winning them over.

Let's look at other reasons you should dedicate time to make your executive summary appealing.

Grab Readers’ Attention and Drive Interest

Project plans, business plans and market research reports can get granular and dense. Hence, most readers rely on the executive summary to get the hang of what the document entails.

Think of your executive summary as the hook to the rest of your content. It's a golden opportunity to show who you are, share your company's vision and connect with potential investors.

With an excellent executive summary, you can get the attention you need to clearly describe your business goals. It will also help you figure out how to improve and streamline your business or project plan.

For example, let's say you're having trouble highlighting compelling figures or summarizing your business plan in a few pages. That could indicate that your business plan lacks substance or is missing key details.

Similarly, suppose your executive summary lacks the basic details. In that case, it could mean your project report has loopholes you'd have to address.

In either case, you may need to go back to the drawing board to make it clear, engaging and unique enough. The end goal is to entice top management, potential investors and key stakeholders to read on.

Attract Investment Opportunities

Think about this for a moment. Venture capitalists and angel investors receive tens to hundreds of business plans, each having ten pages or more.

Considering their time, schedule and lineup of activities, reading these documents from cover to cover may be a tall order.

Not only that, they've got lots of lots of potential investment opportunities knocking on their door. Hence they'll make up their mind in a few minutes whether your business proposal interests them or not.

So, what will make an investor choose a business plan over the other? Yes, you guessed right! The executive summary.

Most venture capitalists and inventors prefer to receive brief executive summaries. It's their best bet since they probably have a stack of business plans waiting for their attention.

Reading a concise executive summary will help them figure out if it is worth reading the whole business plan. It will provide enough information and a good understanding of your idea, team, business and financial projections.

In a nutshell, they want to know what's so special about your idea. So why should they read further? What's in it for them and why should they splash the cash on your business venture?

An excellent executive summary will position your business idea as a juicy investment opportunity. More so, it will pique the investor's interest and earn you that all-important first meeting.

Use the template below to highlight critical details and showcase a digestible version of your business plan.

Boost Stakeholders’ Confidence in Your Project

So, you've probably written your project plan for a proposed project or a status report for an ongoing one. Now you're wondering if you need to write an executive summary. Well, the big answer is yes.

Why does an executive summary matter? First, they highlight everything key stakeholders need to know before digging deeper into the finer details.

At a glance, your readers should get a bird's eye view of project goals and deliverables, status, milestones, risk and financial details and why they're important. In addition, it should highlight how the project impacts the entire organization.

Writing an articulate executive summary can help streamline communication across stakeholders and boost their confidence in the project. Essentially, it shows you have every aspect of the project under control.

The thing is, key project stakeholders like investors, clients and top-level management may not have the time to dive into the full project details. You can use the Visme template below to summarize your project proposal or keep your team in sync with its overall health.

If you want to summarize a large business document, making it readable and foolproof, you need an executive summary. This is because it's concise, and as such, the chances are that many people will read it.

Not only that, it's incredibly easy to get your main points across effectively in an executive summary.

That being said, let's look at some of the different use cases for executive summaries.

Business Plans

An executive summary is a staple for writing a winning business plan . It's the most widely-used application in the business world.

Your executive summary is typically the last section you write in your business plan. And it should embody key elements like:

• Brief description of your business, including products and services
• Summary of business objectives
• The market opportunity and problem your business solves
• A description of your target market, competition and competitive advantage
• Snapshot of funding requirements, growth potential and financial highlights

This may seem like a lot and tough to fit on one or two pages. But your executive summary should be capable of being a standalone document.

Think about it this way. If your audience can make sense of your executive summary on its own, then it has served its purpose.

Project Plans

Executive summaries condense your lengthy project plans into a page or two. They provide a high-level overview of critical information like:

• Project goals, scope and activities
• Summary of the project resources
• Change management plan
• Description of milestones and major deliverables
• Timeline and schedule
• Communication plan
• Success metrics, budget and other financial details

In a nutshell, the executive summary summarizes the project, risk, timeline and more to ensure key stakeholders are on the same page without diving into the full document.

Use the template below to create a project plan that helps streamline operations and keep your project on track.

Project Status Reports

Project status reports describe your project's progress within a specific period and compare it against the project plan. Here, the executive summary covers all the significant attributes of the project status reports in a concise manner.

By reading executive summaries, the project team and key stakeholders can quickly:

• Stay in touch with the overall progress and health of the project
• Monitor project costs, risks and activities
• Mitigate issues before they arise
• Ensure the project is completed within the designated time frame

Communicate your project activities and progress with key stakeholders using the project status report template below.

Case studies are in-depth studies of a subject, person, event or organization. They focus on real-world problems and situations and require a deep understanding of the subject. Whether you're writing case studies for academics, projects or business, at a glance, your executive summary should:

• Describe who the case study is about. For example, if the case study is about your client, It should summarize their mission, the services they offer, their industry and how long they've been working with your organization or using your product.
• Provide insights into the problems they've faced.
• Highlight how your product or solution solved the problem.
• Explain results and progress reports after the client used the solution.

The case study template below can help you showcase your product capabilities, inspire client trust and build credibility.

You can edit it to include key details like problem statement, solution analysis, project description, cost-benefit analysis, results and recommendations, and more.

Academic Studies and Research

For academic research reports, the intended audience is different from business settings. However, the executive summary serves similar purposes.

Academic studies are typically in-depth with complex methodologies and calculations. As a result, they can be difficult to grasp, especially if you aren't an expert in the field.

The job of an executive summary is to provide a brief yet clear understanding of the methodologies, results, statistics, conclusions and recommendations.

Keep in mind that the executive summary is different from the abstract. While both summarize your research study, recommendations in the executive summaries are more explicit, while abstracts rarely have recommendations.

Abstracts are mostly written for the academic community. In contrast, executive summaries are often written for policymakers outside the academic community.

Market Research Reports and Survey

Marketing plans and research reports help companies evaluate the target market and feasibility of a new product or service. They contain valuable studies that help companies chart a new course and improve marketing and business results.

The executive summary, in this case, contains key elements such as:

• Company description
• The objective and purpose of the research
• Key results, statistics and findings
• Conclusions and recommendations
• Next steps and ideas for future research

With this summary, management teams and business leaders can gather valuable insight and make swift decisions to drive the business forward.

In addition, you can use the report template below to visualize market survey findings, analysis and results.

Financial Reports

Whether you're executing a project or starting a business, financial reports help you communicate financial information with investors.

Unfortunately, they often include complex numbers, calculations, ratios and statements that are challenging to interpret. That's why you need an articulate executive summary that provides an overview of your company's financial projections or health without diving into the complex details.

At its best, your financial report executive summary should include necessary details such as:

• Sales and income forecast
• Budget and funding requirements
• Use of funds
• Break-even point

Use the template below to visualize your current and projected revenues and business growth metrics.

There's no hard and fast rule about how long your executive summary should be. However, the general rule of thumb is to keep it as brief as possible.

Here's the thing. Your audience has limited time and wants to get into the main details quickly. So try to keep your executive summary under two pages.

Depending on your project size and scope, you may need to add a page or two.

For example, project plans or status reports for large, complex or highly technical projects are often lengthy. In this case, you may need more than two pages to effectively capture the main points in your executive summary.

Additionally, make sure your executive summary has a similar structure and flow as the rest of the document.

Do your best to keep your paragraphs short and use clear and concise language appropriate for your target audience. Not only will this make your content readable, but it will get the attention it deserves.

So you've got that impressive business idea and you're buzzing to sell it to a potential investor. The question is, how do you create an engaging executive summary that unlocks readers' attention and gets you funded?

Stick with us and you'll learn the easiest way to get it done. We'll also show you practical examples and provide templates to help you create your executive summary on the go.

Step 1: Start With an Attention-Grabbing Intro

Angel investors and investment platforms use executive summaries to gauge interest in investment opportunities. And having a strong opening helps you build a solid case for your business or project plan.

Want to impress your readers and convince them your proposal is worth reading? Then you should hook them in by explaining what your proposal is about and why it matters.

Let's say you've identified a gap in the marketplace; you might start with that. If the driving force for your project is customer feedback or market research, that could be your compelling aha moment.

Utilize thought-provoking statistics or compelling figures to justify why addressing the pain points is critical. The goal is to make your audience see why your proposal is an opportunity they can't afford to miss out on.

Most people try to use inspiring quotes or anecdotes to build excitement. But, unfortunately, this strategy doesn't always work. Stakeholders want to know if your idea is a viable opportunity right off the bat. And capturing their attention begins from the opening sentence.

Here's an excellent example of how to hook your audience right from the start.

FoodPlus is an on-demand food delivery service poised to revolutionize the food industry. With over ten years of experience in the food industry, our goal is to leverage technology to help people access food, beverage and groceries at the comfort of their homes and offices.

Our user-friendly app and wide network of delivery vendors make FoodPus the go-to service and preferred choice in and around our target market. Recently ranked the most popular food delivery app, FoodPlus has 200,000 partner restaurants located in 2000 cities worldwide, about 70% of them in the US.

In less than five years, we've tripled our customer base and amassed over one million followers across our social channels.

We have recently uncovered a significant opportunity to expand our reach to the UK and Canada. FoodPlus is seeking equity investment to help us fund our expansion and achieve our business goals in the next fiscal year.

Notice how this executive summary highlights compelling facts and figures, including:

• Year of experience in the industry
• Large customer base
• Market reach and service coverage
• Social engagement and proof
• Market opportunity

Set your business up for success with the cutting-edge business plan template below.

Step 2: Write for Your Audience

When writing your executive summary, you want to keep your intended audience in mind always and write it for them. First off, you need to consider your reader's current level of knowledge. Then use languages and terms appropriate for your target audience.

If you're writing for financial experts, the language you use should differ greatly from how you would write for project managers or engineers.

For example, investors and financial experts will probably be familiar with financial metrics. In contrast, engineers and project managers are more knowledgeable about the technical details.

The content and depth of explanation should align with your audience's interest and expertise.

Let's face it. People will readily read through content that's valuable to them. So if you're going to grab and hold your audience's attention, you'll have to research to understand who your audience is and what they want to know.

You may need to craft different versions of the executive summary based on the reader's expectations.

Let's say you're writing your executive summary for top-level management or investors. In that case, try answering these questions:

• What do they know about the subject?
• What do my audiences want to know about the subject?
• How much explanation do I need to make?
• What questions would run through the minds of my audiences?

Remember, it's a summary and your audience wants to quickly pull out the main points. Inform them about the fantastic opportunity that awaits them and create a sense of urgency so that they are compelled to read your document further.

Whether you're writing for business or academic purposes, use formal language and guide your audiences through the information.

Showcase your idea and wow investors with the help of Visme's business plan template below.

Step 3: Provide an Overview of Your Project

In the first few paragraphs of your executive summary, provide your audience with an overview of your proposed project.

You should include details of your business, your products and services and years of experience in the industry (if applicable.)

Also, outline your goals and the problem your project or proposal seeks to address. You may want to answer questions like:

• What problem will your project address?
• Why is it necessary for your product or services to enter the market?
• Why is it important for your company to embark on this project?
• What are the events that brought the project to life? Is it a market survey, customer feedback, innovation cycle, product plan, market needs or competitor activities?
• What will be the outcome after the successful execution of this project?

Finally, mention other vital research and industry insights relevant to the project or organization.

Using our earlier example, here's how to define the opportunity or problem.

The on-demand food delivery business will hit around $97 Billion by 2024. This growth is fueled by consumers' demand for convenience and access to meals in the comfort of their homes.

Currently, customers have to walk a certain distance to access meals. This limits their choices and ability to personalize their meals. With the proposed expansion of our business to other cities, we will make it easy for customers to access personalized meals quickly.

Notice how the executive summary in the template below highlights the market opportunity in the fashion industry.

Step 4: Describe the Solution and Expected Outcome

Next, briefly explain your proposed solution and how it will address the problem you've highlighted earlier. Here you should give your audience a mental picture of what their life or business would look like once you've solved the problem.

You want to touch on product features and benefits and how they align with your company goals. For example, product or service benefits could be in the form of:

• Convenience
• Accessibility
• Wide range of product or service options
• Better efficiency and productivity
• Increased sales
• Cost savings
• Brand equity , recognition and brand loyalty
• Industry leadership

Using our on-demand food service example, here's how to highlight your solution and expected outcome.

Having examined our target market, we recognize the need for an on-demand food delivery solution. FoodPlus offers a full-service online food ordering and delivery platform that enables users to order meals on the go. The app comes preloaded with the features like:

• Ability to create and manage orders
• Delivery GPS tracking in real-time
• In-app messaging
• Rating and reviews

It also offers users different ways to make payments, including debit or credit cards, mobile wallets and more. Our promise of value to our customers include:

• Value for money
• Ease of use
• Access to a wide range of meal options

Entice investors by emphasizing the market opportunity and proposed solution using the Visme template below.

Step 5: Explain Proposed Strategy and Operation Plan

Once you've highlighted your proposed solution, the next step is to explain your business strategy.

Who are the major players in your industry? What factors will set your business apart and help you gain a competitive advantage?

Next, explain how you intend to bring the project or product to life. You should include details of your operations, including production or project execution plan.

Are you outsourcing production or building the capacity to handle it in-house? What's your expected daily production or service delivery capacity? You're going to have to explain if you're setting up a brick-and-mortar store or an online service delivery model.

If you write an executive summary for a research report, explain how you will perform experiments or collect data during field surveys. This section should also highlight key activities, milestones, start and end dates.

Define your business model, strategy and operational plan using the Visme template below.

Step 6: Show Off Your Strengths

This is the part where you provide evidence that you can deliver on the value you've promised.

Here you should talk about your industry knowledge, expertise and experience. Also, highlight key team members and their depth of knowledge and experience in the industry.

If you're an existing business, you should talk about how long the company has been in business.

What's more? Talk about other projects you've successfully executed, your accolades, achievements and more.

Here you can include relevant figures, charts and key performance indicators like the one below. This will further boost your reader's confidence in your ability to deliver the project on time and within budget.

Here's an example of how to show proof of your expertise in your executive summary.

FoodPlus has been in business since 2017. Over the past five years, we've launched our service in over 400 cities in the US. We've achieved 50% growth in revenue within the last two years. We have a team of professionals with a combined 40 years of experience in the tech, e-commerce and on-demand space.

In addition, our diverse and robust team of customer success experts is well-positioned to ensure users enjoy incredible service experiences across multiple touchpoints.

Ensure your metrics and numbers are accurate and verifiable. For example, you can use financial management software to track and retrieve key metrics like return on investment and profit margin.

Step 7: Highlight Financials and Funding Requirements

Financial projections reveal whether your business has a chance to generate revenue and profit to survive. These insights help potential investors decide if your idea or project is a worthwhile investment, making them a key part of your executive summary.

Here's the thing. Project stakeholders and investors want to know what's in it for them. Why should they invest in your idea or embark on the project?

This section should highlight key financial and business growth metrics like expenses , revenue, cash flow, profit and loss forecasts for one to three years.

Make sure to show details of your break-even point - the point where cost and revenues are equal. Also, remember to highlight when your business will make a profit.

If you're writing an executive summary for a project or research, highlight the significant cost associated with the project or research.

This section should also mention the amount of money you need for your business or project. Make sure to disclose when investors will get their return on investment or when you'll be able to complete loan repayment.

For projects and academic research, provide details of the funding you need to achieve desired project outcomes. All in all, ensure this figure aligns with your financial projections.

Here's how to highlight financial projections and funding requirements.

At FoodPlus, our financial projections show that we will have steady revenue growth, positive cash flow and profit in the first year. Our forecast is based on two streams of income -commission on sales of meals and deliveries.

The expected revenue in the first year is $5 million and a 50% increase in the second and third years of operations. We expect a net profit margin of 45%, while the return on equity will be 15.37% in the first year. We will break even in the first year of business and by the third year, we expect positive cash after debt repayments.

We are seeking an equity investment of about 10 million dollars to fund our expansion into other cities in the UK and Canada.

The business plan template below cuts across a wide range of industries and is perfect for sharing the future of your business with investors.

Step 8: Wrap Up and Include a Call to Action

You've now presented all the important details with investors and other stakeholders. The next important step is to include key takeaways and a call to action.

Here you should answer questions like:

• How will the funding impact your business?
• Why is it important for you to get the money?
• Why should your audience be interested in this opportunity
• What will they achieve by taking advantage of this opportunity?

Here's an example to conclude our example executive summary:

This funding will help FoodPlus break into new markets, expand our reach and increase our market share. We've achieved success over the past five years. We're confident we can enjoy tremendous growth in the new market and turn FoodPlus into a global success.

If you're ready to move forward, this proposal provides more details about our project and how we'll accomplish it. If you have any questions, I'd be pleased to take your call or read from you (insert your email or phone number).

Step 9: Use a Template

Now that you know what you should write in your executive summary, you're probably buzzing to get to work. We recommend using Visme's business document creator that comes with ready-to-go templates with built-in executive summary pages.

You'll find templates of business plans, project plans,   reports and more to help you get started. Visme has a rich library of images, videos, graphs and other visual aids like the one below to help you get your point across quickly.

Step 10: Write It Last

Although your executive summary is the first content your audience reads from your report, you should write it last. Writing your executive summary at the end provides clarity. It also enables you to prioritize and filter the key information for your executive summary.

Once you're satisfied with your business plan or proposal, pick out the details that matter most to your readers and write them in your executive summary.

Get to Work: Craft a Compelling Executive Summary

Your executive summary is the hottest ticket to driving investors' interest in your business or project. Hence, you can't afford to wing it or take it for granted.

Writing an executive summary requires a whole different approach than the rest of the proposal. You want to ensure it briefly captures the key elements of the documents.

Remember, the goal is to attract interest, get readers' attention and entice them to keep reading.

If you want to craft the perfect executive summary, Visme's document creator has everything you need to get excellent results. The software comes preloaded with a robust library of easy-to-use templates for creating any business documents you can think of.

Whether you're looking to write an executive summary for your business plan, project status report and research proposal, Visme has got you covered. You can leverage millions of premium images, videos, visual aids and other design elements to make your executive summary pack a punch.

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How To Write an Executive Summary (with examples) | Proposify

An effective executive summary can mean the difference between a client win and the recycle bin. It's arguably the most valuable component of any business proposal , but many people get confused when it comes time to put pen to paper.

An executive summary is not actually about summarizing at all; it’s about selling. Here’s how to write a proposal executive summary that seals the deal, including the 5 key components you need and some helpful dos and don'ts.

(This article was originally published on 7/4/2017 and updated on 05/16/2023)

There is so much dissent surrounding the executive summary of a proposal— Where does the executive summary go? How long should an executive summary be? How do you format an executive summary? These uncertainties can add to the already stressful task of getting a winning proposal written, designed, and delivered to the prospective client on time. It’s time to set things straight.

What is an executive summary?

The executive summary is arguably the most valuable component of any proposal. It serves as an introduction, allowing readers to quickly get acquainted with your proposal by outlining what’s to come. It gives you an opportunity to sell your proposed solution and explain why the prospective client should choose you over the competition.

The purpose of an executive summary

First of all, the term “executive summary” needs a rebrand. The name itself speaks of stuffy suits, boring, jargon-filled reports, and boardrooms filled with cigar smoke and people ready to say no.

They can’t wait to read your executive summary.

In all seriousness, the word “summary” can be misleading, and this is the first mistake people often make when it comes to writing their executive summary. They think that the purpose of an executive summary is to explain the entire proposal in 250 words. But it’s not.

The real purpose of an executive summary is to engage your prospective client. It helps the prospect quickly decide whether they're going to read the rest of the proposal, pass it on to other decision-makers, or if it's destined for the recycle bin.

So you better make it good.

The executive summary of your proposal needs to grab the reader’s attention and pique their interest. Even though you and your team spent painstaking hours writing this proposal, selecting just the right graphics, and coming up with the best solution for your potential client’s problem, they may only read this one page and then flip to your pricing table.

That’s why this section needs to be specific and persuasive, with a focus on results and benefits of your company/product/service, rather than describing features. You can save the features for the body of the proposal.

When should you write the executive summary?

Whether you write the executive summary before or after the rest of the proposal is as contentious as the debate about the best part of a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup: the chocolate or the peanut butter.

Some people feel that you should write the executive summary first because it can help you outline your concept and organize your thoughts for the entire proposal. That way, it acts as a guide for members of your team who are tasked with preparing sections of the proposal, ensuring that the big idea is consistent throughout, and that all necessary components are included.

Others feel strongly that you should write the executive summary after you’ve prepared the rest of the proposal because you’ve had a chance to work through the objectives and the solutions, and you’ll have a better idea of what to say and how to say it. Plus, things may have changed since you first started the proposal, so you might need to adjust your approach.

How to format an executive summary

The format of an executive summary is an important consideration that many people overlook. What do you include? How do you arrange the sections? To help you get started, here are the components of a good proposal executive summary:

The Opener: Capture their attention

You need an opener that's compelling. A way to get the potential client’s attention right away, and you do that by talking about THEM, not about you. Focus on the issue and the result, but be direct, concise, and evocative.

This is the time to hook them in — get them excited about what they’re going to read next.

The Need: We get it

Before a client hires you, they want to know that you get them. You can’t solve a problem that you don’t understand. This section of the executive summary is where you demonstrate your grasp of the situation. You could include a bit of your own research or a brief reference to your company’s experience dealing with a similar situation. You should also talk about how the client will benefit from solving the problem — what will change, the positive outcomes, the results.

Again, the focus here is on the prospect and their challenge, not on you and your company.

The Proposed Solution: We’ve got it

Now you’re in the spotlight. This section is where you talk about the brilliant solution you’re proposing and why it will work. But remember, this is just an overview. The prospect can read all the delicious details in the proposal, so keep it high level but still provide enough detail to convince them you have something specific and well thought out for them.

This section should start to provide your prospect with a sense of relief and get them excited about the result.

The Evidence: We can do it

It's time to show your stuff. Talk about why your company, your team, or your product is not only willing to take this challenge on, but how and why you're qualified to do so. Demonstrate what sets you apart and why they should choose you over the competition.

Maybe this is your niche market and you have lots of experience helping other companies with a similar issue. Maybe it’s a particular skill set your team possesses, your research, your algorithm, or your project management process. Or maybe you’ve won 27 Academy Awards for best picture, and you know you can make this a hit.

Talk about WHY you can make this a successful project and deliver results, but (broken record) keep it brief.

The Call to Action: Let’s do it

Keeping in mind that the purpose of the executive summary is to sell, it’s now time to close the deal.

Make the client feel like they have no other chance for happiness than to hire you and proves your solution is the one that will make their dreams come true.

Talk about why you want to work with them — a little flattery goes a long way — and about how, as partners, you will be successful.

Executive Summary Examples

Without further adieu, here are four (fictional) business proposal executive summary examples that will get your prospects excited to work with you.

1. Example of Ecommerce Executive Summary

Prospect: Gyuto -- Japanese chef knife brand Sender: ThinkBig -- Shopify design agency Project title: Shopify ecommerce Proposal

Gyuto sells what is arguably the coolest line of artisanal, sustainably-sourced kitchen knives in the world. They're handmade in Japan, capable of slicing tomatoes as thin as paper, and surprisingly affordable, considering the attention to detail. But as impressive as Gyuto knives are, you've got a static website that merely showcases low-res photos of your product line and requires customers to pick up the phone and place orders manually.

As you're well aware, placing orders manually is not sustainable. It’s severely limiting your potential for sales, and it's negatively affecting the way your customers perceive and experience the Gyuto brand. You need an ecommerce store so that customers can easily buy products from you directly at any time, from anywhere, however they want. This is the only way to grow your business online.

Lucky for you (and 1,000,000 other retailers around the world) there's Shopify. Shopify is an awesome hosted ecommerce app that empowers retailers with an easy-to-use, easy-to-manage, customizable online store and secure checkout. Shopify gives you control over the look and feel of your store and allows you to add products, manage inventory, track sales, and more. It's hassle-free ecommerce that allows you to focus on other aspects of your business.

We'll focus on implementing Shopify and leveraging its features to help drive Gyuto revenue and improve your customer experience. We'll also include powerful search and categorization so customers can easily and quickly find what they're looking for. We use best practices so that product pages convert users to add more items to their shopping cart. And then, most importantly, we’ll guide people down the conversion funnel to complete the checkout process. With this solution, we aim to grow your monthly sales by 50% within the next six months.

Here at ThinkBig, we're proud to be Shopify experts. That means we're among an elite group of developers who have been trained and approved by Shopify to help businesses like yours grow their online presence. Our Shopify status only enhances our already extensive knowledge of ecommerce trends, functionality, customer behaviour, and design. We've helped many businesses transform underperforming sites to an all-out sales boom just by improving their online shopping experience.

We love working with companies like Gyuto. Those who embrace the changes required for growth while still honouring their brand values and customer loyalty. With this attitude, a partnership with ThinkBig can transform Gyuto from mom and pop shop to family-run global online enterprise in a way that is manageable, sustainable, and profitable. We've done it for superstar brands like Dollar Shave Club, and for soon-to-be star brands like Rum Runners Rum Cake Factory.

If you're ready to increase your monthly sales by 50% in 6 months, we're ready to take you there. This proposal outlines in more detail how we'll do it, and what you can expect along the way. But your biggest expectation should be one of success.

As you can see, ThinkBig addresses all five aspects of a winning executive summary. They focus on the client with the opener, identify the prospect's need in the second paragraph, offer a solution with evidence to back it up, and include a clear call-to-action. While this sample executive summary is on the longer side, it tells the prospect exactly why ThinkBig is right for the job before they even get to the meat of the proposal.

2. Example of Marketing Executive Summary

Prospect: Pete’s Pizzeria -- Toronto pizza restaurant Sender: uGrow -- Social media marketing agency Project title: Social Media Marketing Proposal

Pete’s Pizzeria has been our favorite restaurant since the very first day we moved our offices to Toronto. The crispy-yet-fluffy crust is to die for, the sauce is otherworldly, and don’t even get us started on that fresh buffalo mozzarella you use. Surely this isn’t the first time you’re hearing this, but we have a feeling that you don’t hear it often enough. We noticed that you don’t have much of a social media presence, which is unfortunate because we think that everyone in the city should be lining up to eat at Pete’s Pizzeria.

If you weren’t already aware, social media is one of the most effective ways to expand your reach and grow your business. Without it, you’re leaving a giant, untapped pool of potential customers on the table and you risk losing existing, hungry customers to other restaurants that they follow. What you need is a social media marketing strategy to showcase your delicious restaurant in order to increase sales and customer loyalty.

Fortunately, uGrow can help. We’ll leverage Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok to get your name out to millions of users. Here’s how: First, we’ll get you set up on each of the platforms and work with you to establish the Pete’s Pizzeria brand and voice. Then, we’ll take some stunning pictures of your food and write captions with trending hashtags. After that, we’ll create a consistent content calendar and posting schedule to maximize engagement. And to top it all off, we’ll manage all of the accounts to grow follower counts and increase traffic to your website. With this approach, we expect to increase your sales by 25% before year end.

At uGrow, we specialize in helping small, Toronto restaurants like Pete’s Pizzeria reach their full potential and grow their business. We’ve worked with over 75 restaurants across the city and throughout the GTA, and every one of our clients saw an increase in sales within three months of us taking over their social media. We’ve had several posts go viral, which resulted in our clients’ restaurants being completely sold out for the following weeks. All this to say: we love Pete’s Pizzeria and want to help you get the attention you deserve.

If you’re interested in increasing your sales by at least 25% by the end of the year, we can make it happen. This proposal goes into more detail on how exactly we plan to execute on your social media marketing strategy, and what you can expect once we start. Let’s get Pete’s Pizzeria trending.

In this sample executive summary, uGrow does a great job at playing to Pete’s Pizzeria’s pain points (whew!), and offers specific solutions and outcomes to build credibility with the prospect. uGrow also makes a great use of social proof to demonstrate its effectiveness with evidence from past clients.

3. Example of Cleaning Services Executive Summary

Prospect: ELC Holdings -- Property management company Sender: CLEAND -- Commercial cleaning services company Project title: Cleaning Services Proposal

With over 15,000 rentals in 3 states, ELC Holdings is one of the biggest property management companies in the midwest. Your growing portfolio of residential and commercial properties is seriously impressive, but we heard you could use some help keeping your commercial spaces in good shape. As people begin to return to the office, it’s essential that your properties are clean, safe, and compliant to public health guidelines.

As you know, maintaining commercial spaces is no walk in the park. It takes a lot of time and effort to clean even one floor, let alone 4. And that’s just one of your many buildings. But now more than ever, it’s important that your spaces are well-maintained so that your tenants feel safe and secure. It’s not an easy task, especially if you lack the staff and equipment. This is why you need commercial cleaning services.

Having spent over 25 years in the cleaning services industry, we’ve built an experienced team and an arsenal of cleaning equipment that will leave your building absolutely spotless. We offer daily, weekly, and biweekly cleaning arrangements to ensure that your buildings are always in perfect shape for your tenants. From the carpets to the ceilings and everything in between, we can help you clean and sanitize every last corner of your properties so you can rest assured that your tenants are happy.

CLEAND specializes in commercial cleaning services, and has worked with over 200 businesses across the Midwest. We currently have contracts with the United Center and the Auditorium Building in Chicago, and haven’t had a single complaint in the 10 years they’ve been using our services. We provide consistent, reliable results, and stand by our commitment to quality. In fact, if you aren’t happy with our services, we’ll pay the first month’s bill if you switch to another cleaning services company.

ELC Holdings is one of the biggest property management companies in the Midwest, and CLEAND is one of the best cleaning services companies in the area. What do you say we join forces? This proposal outlines how our services could benefit your company, and details what to expect if you choose to seize this opportunity.

This sample cleaning services executive summary immediately highlights the prospect’s pain points and explains why CLEAND is uniquely positioned to help relieve them. It incorporates all five components of a well-written executive summary and even highlights different service offerings before the prospect digs into the solutions section of CLEAND’s cleaning services proposal .

4. Executive Summary Template Example

Here's an example of an executive summary made using a customizable proposal template from Proposify's gallery.

Of course every executive summary needs to be tailored to your specific project, your potential client's needs, and your brand voice. But if you're looking for more inspiration, we have many other business proposal templates that you can customize yourself.

Executive summary tips: The Do’s and Don’ts

Some other important points and guidelines to keep in mind when writing your executive summary:

Do: use a template for your executive summary Getting started is the hardest part of writing a proposal executive summary. If you’re struggling to get the ball rolling, consider using a business proposal template that includes a sample executive summary. This can help ensure that you cover everything an executive summary should include.

Don’t: make it too long

Some people recommend that the executive summary should be 10% of your entire proposal, but it’s best if you try to keep it to one page, two tops if it’s a larger proposal. Be mindful that if you’re working on an RFP, they may already set out a particular length limit, so you’ll want to stick to that.

Don’t: use jargon

This rule applies to everything but is especially important when writing proposals. Jargon can act as a smokescreen to mask the fact that someone doesn’t really know what they’re talking about, or it can confuse people if they’re not familiar with the same terms.

Don’t: use overly technical language

Unless you are absolutely sure that the only person who will read the executive summary is an engineer or a developer or someone who will understand exactly what you’re talking about, don’t get too technical. In some situations, you may need to reference certain details, but remember that this is a persuasive document—sell the benefits, not the features. Save the tech stuff for the proposal.

Don’t: talk about your company history

The history of your company does not belong in the executive summary. After all, the executive summary is about your prospective client, not about you. However, if it is appropriate and relevant, put it in the body of the proposal under “About Us” or something.

Do: focus on your prospective client

Think about what they want to know, not what you want to tell them. Like any piece of copy, you need to write for your audience, so make sure you think about them; what turns them off and what turns them on.

Do: mention your potential client’s company name

People like to hear their names and the same holds true for businesses. Make sure you reference your prospect’s full company name several times in the executive summary, so they feel like you’re focused on them.

Do: use plain language

The regular rules for writing apply to executive summaries. Use simple, short sentences that are clear and can be understood at almost any reading level, especially if you might be writing for people whose first language is not English. Don’t be pretentious - you’ll come off like an ass. Be concise, and be persuasive. Here are some more writing tips for writing an effective business proposal .

Do: proofread and edit

This probably goes without saying, but you really, really don’t want any typos in your executive summary. Get more than one set of eyes on your document before it goes out, and preferably someone who wasn’t involved in its creation.

We hope this executive summary guide will help turn your ho-hum executive summaries into wicked pitches of excellence. Remember to be persuasive, not pedantic. And if anyone has a suggestion on a new name for executive summary, bring it on.

Director of Communications @proposify. Channeling Maria Von Trapp, Queen Elizabeth II, and my taxi-driving, yard-sale-obsessed grandmother. Professional word nerd and unapologetic disciple of the Oxford comma. Connect on LinkedIn

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How To Write A High-Impact Executive Summary

By Derek Jansen | January 2018

In this post, I’ll deconstruct the often-misunderstood executive summary and show you how to develop a high-impact executive summary for your assignment, research report or even your dissertation or thesis.

So, what is an executive summary?

An executive summary (sometimes called an abstract ) is quite simply a summary of summaries. In other words, an executive summary provides a concise summary of each of your assignment or report chapters/sections . More specifically, it should communicate the key points/insights/findings/suggestions from the following chapters:

• Introduction
• Recommendations
• Implementation (if applicable)
• Reflection (if applicable)

I’ll discuss which key points from each section need to be addressed a bit later. On a separate note – if you’re writing an executive summary for a dissertation or thesis, all of the concepts described in this post will still apply to you, however, you’ll include an additional paragraph about your methodology, and you’ll likely spend more word count discussing your analysis findings.

The 4 Important Attributes Of An Exec Summary

Before I discuss what goes into the executive summary, let’s quickly look at 4 attributes that make for a strong executive summary:

#1 – It should be able to stand alone.

The executive summary should be able to stand independently as an informative document . In other words, the reader should be able to grasp your broad argument without having to read the full document. Further reading should be purely for attaining more detail. Simply put, the executive summary should be a “Mini-Me” of the assignment.

This independence means that anything you write in the executive summary will need to be re-stated in the body of your assignment. A common mistake that students make is to introduce key points in the executive summary and then not discuss them again in the document – accordingly, the marker must view the main document as missing these key points. Simply put – make sure you discuss key points in both the executive summary and the main body . It will feel repetitive at times – this is normal.

#2 – It should be written for the intelligent layman.

When crafting your executive summary, its useful to keep the intelligent layman front of mind. What I mean by this is that you should write your summary assuming that your reader (i.e. the marker) will be intelligent but won’t be familiar with your topic and/or industry. This means that you should explain any technical concepts, avoid jargon and explain acronyms before using them.

#3 – It should be concise.

Typically, your executive summary should be a one-pager (one and a half pages at worst). To summarise a 3000 – 5000-word document into one page is no easy task, so you’ll need to:

• Present only the most important information (key insights, recommendations, etc).
• Write concisely – i.e. with brevity and completeness.

To the first point, I’ll explain what the “most important” information is for each chapter shortly. To the second point (writing concisely), there are various ways to do this, including:

• Using simple, straightforward language.
• Using the active voice.
• Removing bloaty adverbs and adjectives.
• Reducing prepositional phrases.
• Avoiding noun strings.

Does this sound like gibberish to you? Don’t worry! The Writing Center at the University of Wisconson-Madison provides a practical guide to writing more concisely, which you can download here.

On a related note, you typically would not include headings, citations or bulleted/numbered lists in your executive summary. These visual components tend to use a lot of space, which comes at a premium, as you know.

#4 – It should be written last.

Given that your executive summary is a summary of summaries, it needs to be written last , only once you’ve identified all your key insights, recommendations and so on. This probably sounds obvious, but many students start writing the summary first (potentially because of its position in the document) and then end up re-writing it multiple times, or they don’t rewrite it and consequently end up with an executive summary which is misaligned with the main document.

Simply put, you should leave this section until everything else is completed. Once your core body content is completed, you should read through the entire document again and create a bullet-point list of all the key points . From this list, you should then craft your executive summary . The approach will also help you identify gaps, contradictions and misalignments in your main document.

So, what goes into an executive summary?

Right, let’s get into the meat of it and consider what exactly should go into your executive summary. As I’ve mentioned, you need to present only the absolutely key point points from each of your chapters, but what does this mean exactly?

Each chapter will typically take the form of 1 paragraph (with no headings) in your executive summary. So, 5 chapters means 5 paragraphs. Naturally, some will be longer than others (let this be informed by the mark allocation), but assuming one page contains 500 words, you’re aiming for roughly 100 words per paragraph (assuming a 5-paragraph structure). See why conciseness is key!

Now, let’s look at what the key points are for each chapter in the case of a typical MBA assignment or report. In the case of a dissertation or thesis, the paragraph structure would still mimic the chapter structure – you’d just have more chapters, and therefore, more paragraphs.

Paragraph 1: Introduction

This paragraph should cover the following points:

• A very brief explanation of the business (what does it do, for whom and where?).
• Clear identification and explanation of the problem or opportunity that will be the focus of the assignment/report.
• A clear statement of the purpose of the assignment (i.e. what research questions will you seek to answer?).
• Brief mention of what data sources were utilised (i.e. secondary research) and any fieldwork undertaken (i.e. primary research ).

In other words, your first paragraph should introduce the business, the problem/opportunity to be addressed, why it’s important, and how you approached your analysis. This paragraph should make it clear to the reader what the assignment is all about at a broad level. Here’s a practical example:

This assignment focuses on ABC Ltd, a XXX business based in XXX, which provides XXX to XXX customers. To date, the firm has relied almost exclusively on XXX marketing channel. Consequently, ABC Ltd has little understanding of consumer segments, wants, and needs. This marketing channel is now under regulatory threat due to XXX.  The core challenge, therefore, is that whilst ABC Ltd seeks to grow its market share, it has little understanding of its market characteristics or competitive set, and its sole marketing channel under regulatory threat. Accordingly, the objective of this assignment is XXX. The assignment draws on survey, interview, and industry data.

Paragraph 2: Analysis and findings

In this paragraph, you should discuss the following:

• What exactly did you analyse? For example, you might have analysed the macro context (i.e. PESTLE analysis), followed by the meso (i.e. competitor or industry analysis) and then the micro (i.e. internal organisational analysis).
• What were your key findings in relation to the purpose of the assignment? For example, you may have identified 4 potential causes of a problem and would then state them.

In other words, your second paragraph should concisely explain what you analysed and what your main findings were . An example of this:

Segmentation analysis, consisting of macro, industry and firm-level analyses, revealed a strong segmentation variable in the form of XXX, with distinct needs in each segment. Macro analysis revealed XXX, while industry and firm-level analyses suggested XXX. Subsequently, three potential target segments were established, namely XXX, XXX and XXX.  These were then evaluated using the Directional Policy Matrix, and the results indicated XXX.

From a presentation perspective, you might structure this section as:

• Analysis 1, findings from analysis 1.
• Analysis 2, findings from analysis 2.
• Analysis 3, findings from analysis 3.

Importantly, you should only discuss the findings that are directly linked to the research questions (i.e. the purpose of the assignment) – don’t digress into interesting but less relevant findings. Given that the analysis chapter typically counts for a large proportion of marks, you could viably write 2-3 paragraphs for this. Be guided by the mark allocation.

Lastly, you should ensure that the findings you present here align well with the recommendations you’ll make in the next paragraph. Think about what your recommendations are, and, if necessary, reverse engineer this paragraph to create a strong link and logical flow from analysis to recommendations.

Paragraph 3: Recommendations

With the key findings from your analysis presented in the preceding paragraph, you should now discuss the following:

• What are your key recommendations?
• How do these solve the problems you found in your analysis?
• Were there any further conclusions?

Simply put, this paragraph (or two) should present the main recommendations and justify their use (i.e. explain how they resolve the key issue). As mentioned before, it’s critically important that your recommendations tightly align with (and resolve) the key issues that you identified in the analysis. An example:

Based on the Directional Policy Matrix analysis, it is recommended that the firm target XXX segment, because of XXX. On this basis, a positioning of XXX is proposed, as this aligns with the segment’s key needs. Furthermore, a provisional high-level marketing mix is proposed. The key aspects of the marketing mix include XXX, XXX and XXX, as these align with the firm’s positioning of XXX. By adopting these recommendations, the key issue of XXX will be resolved.

Also, note that (typically) the tone changes from past to present tense when you get to the recommendations section.

Paragraph 4: Implementation

If your assignment brief requires an implementation/project plan-type section, this paragraph will typically include the following points:

• Time requirements (how long will it take?)
• People requirements (what skills are needed and where do you find them?)
• Money requirements (what budget is required?)
• How will the project or change be managed? (i.e. project management plan)
• What risks exist and how will these be managed?

Depending on what level of detail is required by your assignment brief, you may need to present more, less or other details in this section. As always, be guided by the assignment brief.

A practical example:

A high-level implementation plan is proposed, including a stakeholder analysis, project plan and business case. Resource requirements are presented, detailing XXX, XXX and XXX requirements. A risk analysis is presented, revealing key risks including XXX, XXX and XXX. Risk management solutions are proposed, including XXX and XXX.  

Paragraph 5: Reflection

As with the implementation chapter, the need for a reflection chapter/section will vary between assignments and universities. If your assignment has this requirement, it’s typically good to cover the following points:

• What were your key learnings? What were your ah-ha moments?
• What has changed in the real world as a consequence of these learnings? I.e. how has your actual behaviour and approach to “X” changed, if any?
• What are the benefits and/or disadvantages of this change, if any?

This section is very personal, and so each person’s reflections will be different. Don’t take the above points as gospel.

Time to test it out.

Once you’ve written up your executive summary and feel confident that it’s in good shape, it’s time to test it out on an unsuspecting intelligent layman. This is a critically important step, since you, as the writer, are simply too close to the work to judge whether it all makes sense to a first-time reader. In fact, you are the least suitable person on the planet!

So, find someone who is not familiar with your assignment topic (and ideally, not familiar with your industry), and ask them to have a read through your executive summary. Friends and family will usually tell you its great, regardless of the quality, so you need to test them on their understanding. Do this by asking them to give the details back to you in their own words. Poke and prod – can they tell you what the key issues and recommendations were (in their own words!). You’ll quickly spot the gaps this way, and be able to flesh out any weak areas.

  Wrapping up.

In this post, I’ve discussed how to write the all too often undercooked executive summary. I’ve discussed some important attributes of a strong executive summary, as well as the contents that typically go into it. To recap on the key points:

The key attributes of a high-impact executive summary:

• It should be able to stand alone.
• It should be written for the intelligent layman.
• It should be concise.
• It should be written last.

The key contents of a high-impact executive summary:

Each paragraph should cover a chapter from the document. For example, In the case of a typical assignment, it would be something like:

• Summary of the introduction chapter.
• Summary of the analysis chapter.
• Summary of the recommendations and/or conclusions chapter.
• Depending – summary of the implementation and reflection.

Lastly, don’t forget to test out your executive summary on an unsuspecting layman or two. This is probably the most important step of them all!

If you have any questions or suggestions, we’d love to hear from you. Please get in touch here or leave a comment below.

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Thanks so much for your methodical process and explanation of Executive Summary. It is exactly what I was researching for.

Regards Saane

It’s a pleasure!

This was really helpful with how to structure my assignment.

Thank you so much for the step by step process. It’s so helpful for beginners like me.

Great! This post is very informative and gives clear guidance on to write an executive summary. Thanks very much for sharing this information, it’s very helpful.

Thanks for the feedback, Anna. Best of luck with your writing 🙂

Thank you for the great article, really helped explain what was needed.

Great insight and tips . Thanks

Thank you so much for sharing this. It was exactly what I was looking for.

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How to Write a Management Summary for Your Business Plan

Entrepreneurs are often celebrated for their uncanny ability to understand others – their customers, the market, and the ever-evolving global landscape. However, sometimes the most crucial insight an entrepreneur can have is introspection.  Recognizing one's strengths, experiences, and unique perspectives can be the cornerstone of a venture's success.

While every section of a business plan offers insights into the venture, it's the management summary that shines a spotlight on the people behind the idea. It's where you convey not just the qualifications of your team, but the passion, drive, and unique attributes that make you the ideal candidates to lead the venture to success. Whether you're a seasoned coder diving into a tech startup, a barista with dreams of opening a coffee shop, or an adaptable entrepreneur ready to fill a market gap, your management summary is the stage to showcase why you and your team are poised for success. 

Personal & Professional Experience

The entrepreneurial world is rife with tales of young prodigies launching startups from their dorm rooms and garages. However, a deeper dive into the data presents a different narrative. A Harvard Business Review article revealed that the average age of a successful startup founder is 45. This finding challenges the prevailing notion and brings to the forefront the invaluable role of experience and maturity in entrepreneurship.

An entrepreneur with years behind them might possess insights into customer pain points, industry gaps, and effective strategies that a younger counterpart might overlook. 

An entrepreneur's personal journey, filled with its unique challenges and triumphs, can be a guiding light in shaping the business strategy. For instance, someone who has witnessed the evolution of technology over decades might have a clearer vision of tech trends and their longevity. It's essential for entrepreneurs to recognize these strengths, embrace them, and weave them into their business blueprint.

The management summary is more than just a resume or a CV. It's a narrative that tells the story of why you and your team are the right fit for this venture. When detailing personal expertise, it's crucial to be authentic. Instead of just listing qualifications, weave a narrative that showcases your journey, the lessons learned, and why these experiences make you uniquely suited to lead the venture to success.

The Entrepreneurial Mindset

Entrepreneurship is more than just starting a business; it's a mindset, a way of viewing the world . While expertise in a particular domain can provide a solid foundation, it's the entrepreneurial spirit that often drives success. This spirit is characterized by curiosity, a hunger for innovation, and an unyielding belief in one's vision.

Entrepreneurs have the unique ability to look beyond the present, to anticipate market needs, and to design solutions for tomorrow. This forward-thinking approach, combined with a keen sense of the market pulse, allows them to stay ahead of the curve, innovate, and lead.

What truly sets successful entrepreneurs apart is their approach to risk . They're not reckless; they're calculated. They weigh the pros and cons, take informed leaps, and most crucially, possess the resilience to weather the storms. It's this combination of risk-taking and resilience that often turns challenges into stepping stones.

When writing the management summary, it's essential to paint a holistic picture. Beyond qualifications and expertise, highlight the entrepreneurial traits that set the team apart. Whether it's the business owner's adaptability, the team's collective vision, or their track record of resilience, ensure that the summary captures the essence of the entrepreneurial spirit that drives the venture.

A Balanced Team

The startup ecosystem often buzzes with the idea that every new venture necessitates a co-founder. This belief stems from the notion that two heads are better than one, especially when navigating the tumultuous waters of entrepreneurship. However, a Harvard Business Review article challenges this widely accepted notion. The research suggests that solo founders, when bolstered by the support of "co-creators," can achieve remarkable success. Co-creators, be they employees, alliances, or benefactors, play pivotal roles in the business's growth without the formalities of equity or control typically associated with co-founders. This paradigm shift underscores the importance of recognizing and leveraging support, irrespective of its label.

Every entrepreneur brings a unique set of skills to the table. However, self-awareness is key. Recognizing areas where one might lack expertise or insight is the first step towards building a comprehensive team. For instance, if you're an entrepreneur passionate about creating a coffee shop that offers an unparalleled customer experience, you might excel in ambiance design and customer relations. But what about the financial intricacies or marketing strategies? This is where complementary skills come into play. By identifying these gaps, you can seek out team members, partners, or co-creators who can fill them, ensuring a holistic approach to your business venture.

A successful venture is often backed by a team that brings diverse skills, experiences, and perspectives to the table. The point is to create a well-rounded team that can navigate challenges, innovate, and drive the business towards its goals. When writing a business plan's management summary, it's essential to showcase the collective strengths, the diverse skill sets, and the unique experiences that make your team the perfect ensemble to lead the venture to success.

Organizational Structure

An organizational structure serves as the backbone, providing a clear roadmap of roles, responsibilities, and the flow of information. As highlighted in this Investopedia article , structures can vary from the traditional hierarchical models to more fluid and decentralized ones. The choice of structure is influenced by various factors, including the company's goals, industry dynamics, and inherent culture. Selecting the right structure is crucial as it sets the tone for communication, decision-making, and overall operational efficiency.

The management summary should outline not just where the company stands today but where it aims to be tomorrow. This includes potential market expansions, scaling strategies, and the evolution of the team to support this growth. By detailing these growth trajectories, stakeholders get a clear picture of the company's ambition and the organizational plan to achieve it.

Including a visual representation or your organizational structure, usually in the form of an organizational chart, in your business plan can offer clarity that words might not capture. This chart delineates roles, showcases the hierarchy, and provides a clear view of reporting lines. It ensures that every team member, from top to bottom, understands their position within the larger framework and their contribution to the company's success.

The management summary provides an opportunity to touch upon the heart and soul of the company: its culture. Detailing the company's values, ethos, and the best practices that nurture this culture is vital. This includes recruitment strategies that seek the right talent fit, training programs that foster growth, and HR initiatives that prioritize employee well-being. After all, a company that takes care of its people is one that thrives.

Special Considerations Based on the Audience

Every stakeholder has a unique lens through which they view a business plan. Whether it's a potential investor scrutinizing the viability of your venture or a bank assessing the risk associated with a loan, the management summary must be tailored to address the specific concerns and interests of its audience.

Business Plans for Bank and SBA-Backed Loans

When seeking loans backed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) , it's not just about presenting a promising business idea. The SBA places significant emphasis on the entrepreneur's industry knowledge and management expertise. In your management summary, delve deep into this experience. Highlight past industry successes, showcase relevant qualifications, and emphasize the team's capability to navigate the industry's intricacies. By doing so, you're demonstrating a profound understanding of the industry and the venture's potential place within it.

Business Plans for Immigration Cases

For entrepreneurs targeting immigration, the business plan should serve as a testament to the venture's potential economic contribution to the U.S. This means detailing a robust hiring plan that emphasizes the creation of U.S. jobs. Outline the roles, set out a clear hiring timeline, and emphasize the number of jobs you aim to create. Beyond this, highlight the venture's growth trajectory, ensuring it aligns seamlessly with U.S. market needs and trends.

Business Plans for Venture Capital & Angel Investors

A common misconception in the entrepreneurial world is that investors primarily invest in ideas. Ideas, no matter how revolutionary, are subjected to the complexities of markets. Predicting market behavior in the mid- to long-term is challenging. Furthermore, for a startup to succeed, it not only has to predict the market but also disrupt it, which is a tall order. As the market evolves, so does the idea, undergoing iterations before maturing into a sustainable business.

The journey from a startup's inception to its IPO typically spans a decade. During this time, countless variables can change - from technological advancements to societal shifts. Investors recognize this dynamic nature and understand that while the idea is the seed, it's the team's adaptability and resilience that will nurture it to fruition.

Good investors prioritize the people behind the venture. It's about the ability to reshape and refine the idea based on market feedback. Don't underestimate the importance of the management team when pitching for investor funding.

Strategic Business Plans

A strategic business plan differs from those crafted for investors or loans. When the primary goal is strategic planning, the management summary is less about convincing external parties of the company's potential and more about fostering alignment, clarity, and commitment within the organization and its potential partners. Given their internal focus, the management summary for strategic plans should be tailored to resonate with the company's vision and demonstrate a shared commitment to the company's long-term goals.

For internal stakeholders and potential team members, the business plan should highlight how the management team collaborates, resolves conflicts, and drives the company forward. It should emphasize the team's ability to pivot when necessary and provide a clear breakdown of roles and oversight, such as that of an advisory board. This helps internal stakeholders understand who's responsible for what, fostering accountability and clarity.

The Myth of the Entrepreneur Archetype

There's a pervasive myth in entrepreneurship: the archetype of the "perfect" founder. Stories of visionaries like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, with their larger-than-life personas that are often amplified by media, paint a picture of the quintessential founder. They're portrayed as mavericks who aren't afraid to go against the grain, individuals who trust their gut instincts over data, and leaders who, with sheer willpower and charisma, can rally a team behind them. This stereotype suggests that to be successful, one must possess a specific set of traits and follow a predetermined path.

However, the entrepreneurial world is teeming with leaders who don't fit this mold. For every brash and outspoken founder, there's a thoughtful and introspective one who leads with empathy and collaboration. Leadership today is not a one-size-fits-all. It's diverse, multifaceted, and shaped by individual experiences, cultures, and values.

Moreover, different ventures require different leadership styles. Sure, a tech startup aiming to disrupt an industry might benefit from a founder with a bold vision and a penchant for taking risks. But in contrast, a social enterprise might thrive under a leader who prioritizes community engagement and sustainable growth. Recognizing and valuing these differences is crucial for the broader entrepreneurial ecosystem.

The key for aspiring entrepreneurs is to recognize and embrace their unique strengths. Instead of trying to fit into a preconceived mold, it's about understanding what you bring to the table and leveraging those strengths. Whether you're a natural networker, a meticulous planner, or someone who excels at team-building, there's a place for your leadership style in the entrepreneurial world.

As the business landscape evolves, so does the definition of leadership. Today's leaders are more attuned to the needs of their teams, prioritize mental well-being, and understand the value of diverse perspectives. They're not just visionaries; they're listeners, learners, and collaborators.

Leadership comes in many stripes, and each style has its unique value and place in the business world. The key is to pinpoint what gives you a competitive advantage. Is it your deep industry knowledge? Your ability to build and lead teams? Or perhaps your knack for identifying market gaps?

No founder is without weaknesses. But what sets successful entrepreneurs apart is their ability to recognize these shortcomings and take proactive steps to address them. Outline the areas where you might not have expertise and detail how you plan to overcome these gaps. This could be through continuous learning, seeking mentorship, or, most commonly, by building a team with complementary skill sets.

And finally, remember that the entrepreneurial journey is unpredictable. The ability to adapt and pivot is a testament to a founder's resilience and versatility. Showcase instances where you've had to change course and how you navigated these challenges, emphasizing the lessons learned and how they've shaped your approach.

In essence, the management summary is a platform to showcase your unique entrepreneurial DNA . It's about highlighting what sets you apart, demonstrating self-awareness, and detailing how you've built a team that complements your strengths and addresses your weaknesses. By doing so, you're painting a holistic picture of why you and your team are the right fit for the venture.

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How to write an executive summary stakeholders will love

To make your broader document as comprehensive as possible, consider including the following:

• Any data or statistics that support your content
• Any information on your wider organization or market
• Inputs from other project team members/stakeholders
• Up-to-date information on all of your key project controls, including scope, budget, risks, and issues

Ryan completes his project committee report, including updates on the timelines, resources, risks, and issues. For the budget update, Ryan uses market and economic information to highlight how costs have increased due to inflation. He asks colleagues in finance to review and provide additional inputs and context where required.

3. Re-review and pull out the key elements

Once the bulk of your document is up to date, you can begin pulling together your executive summary. Re-review your project document and pull out the key elements that will form your executive summary.

To help, use the structure we shared earlier in this article as a template for the right level of details:

• Background and context: 3 sentences maximum
• The current status or problem: 4 sentences maximum
• The next steps or solutions: 4 sentences maximum
• The recommendation (if required): 2 sentences maximum

With his project committee report complete, Ryan writes the first draft of his executive summary.

He begins by providing context on the upgrade project, including where the project is within the project plan and forecasted benefits. Ryan then articulates the current problem with his budget and the reasons for cost increases.

The executive summary then offers up three potential solutions to move forward, one of which Ryan recommends on the advice of the project team.

4. Edit for audience and tone and remove jargon and buzzwords

Once your first draft is completed, it’s time to begin the editing process. A great executive summary must be tailored to the reader, ensuring it’s written in a way that allows them to get an update, solve a problem, or make a decision.

Re-review your executive summary, working to refine the following areas:

• Audience: Is it pitched at the right level? Does it have the right level of detail vs. taking a holistic view?
• Tone: Does it hit the right tone? Is it too formal or informal? Does it align with your organization’s tone of voice?
• Jargon and buzzwords: Does it include acronyms, words, or phrases everyone will understand? Does the executive summary require prior knowledge to be understood?

Ryan reviews his executive summary to ensure it’s easy to understand and pitched at the right level for his sponsor, the CTO.

He knows the sponsor has a strong technical background and has been regularly involved in the project, so he can use some commonly known acronyms and keep the context and background brief.

As a financial service company, Invest&Go has a formal company culture, so he removes colloquial language to hit the right tone of voice.

5. Share with a trusted colleague for feedback

All good project management governance includes a review from someone on the outside. This not only provides a good level of project feedback but serves as a good test that your executive summary is easy to understand and aligns with your objective.

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How to Write an Effective Executive Summary

• Survey Tips

What is an Executive Summary?

While Alchemer has powerful built-in reporting features that are easy to use and present, sometimes you need an executive summary to preface the results of any particularly large or important online survey or research project. An executive summary efficiently summarizes a larger business plan while communicating key findings and takeaways from your research, as well as proposed courses of action. 

For example, if a company performs a competitor analysis prior to deciding whether or not to move in a different strategic direction, a business plan would be put together to articulate findings and suggest the next steps. This business plan would open with an executive summary.  

As such, an executive summary quickly becomes the most important element of any business plan.

Executive summaries should include the following components:

• An explanation of why the research was performed
• The results that the research yielded
• Proposed suggestions for how management or leadership should best alter strategies based on the findings of research

Writing an executive summary can be a daunting task. It can be difficult to know where to start, what to write about, or how it should be structured.

In this article, we’ll walk you through how to write an effective executive summary. 

How to Write an A+ Executive Summary

Write it last..

No matter what online survey software you use, the research you perform is only truly valuable when it’s able to inform business decisions and strategies. 

Once your online survey is performed, there is work to be done in terms of packaging your findings to leadership in a way that easily communicates the need for a new strategy. The most straightforward way to do this is to create a business plan that includes all of your research, findings, and suggestions. This business plan naturally requires an executive summary. 

Crafting the executive summary of your business plan after writing every other part of the report is the best practice. This ensures that you can build out a summary that represents the remainder of the plan as accurately as possible.

Capture the reader’s attention.

While an executive summary should be informative in nature, it should also capture the audience’s attention immediately so that they are motivated to read the remainder of the document. Even while crafting an objective presentation of your research findings and the proposed direction that your business, never forget that you want to inspire excitement in your audience!

At the end of your executive summary, your audience — whether they be an investor, banker, advisor, or executive — should be eager to read on. Your executive summary should be thorough, but it should not reveal everything. Your audience should be encouraged by the summary to read the remainder of your report if they want the full story. 

Make sure your executive summary can stand on its own.

With a clearly defined structure, an executive summary can be a standalone piece. Without one, however, it would need the support of the entire report to make an impact. Strive for the former, not the latter. 

If your executive summary can’t stand on its own, consider revising it until it can.  

A tightly informative introduction, body, and conclusion should allow someone with no prior knowledge of your business or industry to read your executive summary and understand the key findings from your research, and the primary elements of your business plan. 

Think of an executive summary as a more condensed version of your business plan.

Your executive summary should be directly aligned with the rest of your larger business plan. While writing your executive summary, read through your business plan and take the most vital information from each section. Numbers, facts, and goals in your business plan should be consistent with your executive summary.

Your executive summary should highlight the best features of your business plan. For example, if you’ve identified a primary advantage you should be leveraging, your executive summary should include this advantage.

Include supporting research.

Support the claims you make in your executive summary and the business plan with research, and cite this research via footnotes in your business plan. 

Boil it down as much as possible.

One of the most essential aspects of an executive summary is succinctness. You should condense your summary as much as possible, with the goal of getting all of the vital information onto one page. The more succinct you are, the clearer your message will be, and the more confidence your readers will have in your plan.

Start with a BANG.

Including a thought-provoking statistic, or an inspiring and relevant quote at the beginning of your summary will capture the reader’s attention and get them thinking on the track that you want them to. 

Keep things positive.

Your executive summary should focus only on the positive elements of your research and business plan. Leave the discussion of risks, obstacles, and challenges for the body section of your plan. Keep a positive tone and use upbeat language in your summary. 

The Five-Paragraph Formula for an Effective Executive Summary

An effective executive summary can be broken down into five key paragraphs. 

Paragraph 1: Provide an overview of your business.

As mentioned, you can get your readers thinking along the track you’d like them to by including a quote or statistic in the first paragraph of your executive summary. This first paragraph is also where you should provide the name and nature of your business, and relevant insights about your industry. 

Paragraph 2: Discuss target market, competition, and marketing strategy. 

Your second paragraph should include a clear and concise definition of your target market, and the need or pain point that your business will aim to solve. 

Next, outline the competitive landscape of your industry, and the advantage that your particular business possesses. 

Your marketing strategy should hinge on the three primary ways that you plan on reaching your target market. Focusing on just the three strongest points of your marketing strategy will maintain precision, and get your readers excited to explore the rest of your plan. 

Paragraph 3: Provide an overview of operational highlights. 

The third paragraph of your executive summary should provide operational highlights such as where your company offices will be located, whether or not you will incorporate or remain a sole proprietor, or whether you will serve as a brick and mortar or online business. 

Paragraph 4: Show forecasting.

Here you should make sales forecasting projections for one and two years after your business plan has been implemented. Calculate your break even point, and inform your audience of when you project to turn a profit.  

Paragraph 5: Detail your investment needs.

If your business requires financing, this is where you should go into detail about the investment needs of your business. The number you include here should be clear, and should align with your projections from the previous paragraph. 

You should now have the tools and knowledge to draft an effective executive summary to back up your online survey findings. Hopefully, this article has alleviated some of the overwhelming feelings that come with getting the ball rolling. 

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How to Write a Great Executive Summary

From business plans to reports to press releases, you can’t underestimate the power of a good executive summary. A well-crafted executive summary will help encapsulate your ideas, engage your audience, and “sell” your ultimate goal.

While it may seem like a no-brainer, you’ll want to approach your executive summary with a strategic mindset and attention to the “bigger picture” of what your document is trying to convey.

In this article, we’ll look at what to consider when writing an executive summary for different types of documents, as well as tips for how to make an impact and draw your readers in.

What is an executive summary?

An executive summary is a pared down version of a larger document, such as a business plan . It provides a quick overview of your business strategy, with details like the description of your company, market research, and financial information. Preparing an engaging executive summary can help potential stakeholders connect with your business, giving you the opportunity to engrain them in your mission and vision .

For your executive summary to be effective, you need to focus on your audience—think about who’s actually reading it and what information is most important to them. Then tread accordingly. For instance, if you’re writing an executive summary to share with your company’s shareholders, the information should be focused on how healthy your revenue has been and is projected to be. If you’re writing a press release, you’ll want your executive summary to focus less on numbers and more on your brand’s positive impact in the industry.

How to write an executive summary

There’s no best approach to writing an executive summary, but here are some common steps entrepreneurs take to craft an abstract for their business plan. 

1. Introduce your business 

The first paragraph of your executive summary should grab the reader’s attention and make them excited about reading the rest of your business plan. It should be relevant to your industry, as well as give readers insight into your short-term and long-term goals. Ideally, an investor or potential partner should be able to read your executive summary and get an instant insight into what your business is about.

 Key things to highlight in the executive summary introduction:

• How you started your business and what inspired you
• Your company’s traits and values (sustainable, charitable, employee-centric)
• The industry or niche you’re operating in 
• Products and services your company provides  

2. Describe the pain point or problem that needs solving

People are interested in knowing whether you can positively contribute to their lives and impact the environment. You can demonstrate your potential by mentioning the pain point your company will solve. Highlighting a pain point in your executive summary shows you’ve researched your target audience and generated a business idea based on a need in the market.

For maximum impact, learn who your customer is and the biggest pain point they’re facing. Send a survey or interview them to get better insights. The more information you have about the problem you’re going to solve, the better you’ll be able to reiterate why it is important and why your company matters. 

3. Outline the solution

In this section, you’ll get into the nitty-gritty of how your solution will address the problem you highlighted in the previous paragraph. What results should the audience expect? How is your offering different from the other solutions available in the market? Be as specific as possible about what makes your solution unique.

Case studies, facts, and influencer endorsements can be excellent ways to demonstrate the feasibility of your product or service.

4. Include information about your competitors

Your readers will want to know who you’ll be competing against and how you plan to capture the market. Include brief details about your main competitors and how you differ from them—that is to say, you should highlight the unique aspects of your offering to make people want to learn more about your company.

You can even use a few sentences to talk about your business in a delightful way. Focus on your business’s strengths and achievements, whether it’s high market share or having a positive environmental impact. Mention these triumphs in your executive summary so your readers know that you’re capable of winning. 

5. Offer a financial overview

Most executive summaries include some financial information intended to demonstrate a potential return on investment for interested parties. Your financial overview may come in the form of a table, showing how much you expect to spend on your company per month or per annum and how much you expect to earn from your various sales strategies. 

When mentioning your numbers, make sure to include your projections for the coming years. Generally, it’s a good idea to highlight what you expect to earn in the next three to five years. Share insights on how you plan to grow your revenue, so readers know what developments and ROI to expect in the foreseeable future.

Executive summary examples

If you’re looking for inspiration to write your executive summary, here are some great examples:

Footwear and apparel brand Allbirds uses an executive summary to describe its vision and mission statement. With sustainability being the company's key focus, Allbirds highlights through the summary the environmentally conscious initiatives it has been working on. Not only that—the brand takes a subtle dig at its competitors, noting how the global footwear industry contributes to environmental damage. 

Allbirds further mentions that it operates its certified B Corporation in a sustainable way, knowing consumers are likely invested in this area. Those interested in the company’s environmental impact can learn more by reading its annual sustainability report .

Soap brand ORRIS has an executive summary on its About page to shed light on its ethos of using the finest plant-derived ingredients to create skin care products. 

The brand also highlights the ingredients it doesn’t use —something good to mention upfront, especially when it’s a skin care item—touting its products are free of surfactants, sulfates, parabens, and synthetic fragrances. 

Furthermore, the executive summary provides insight into ORRIS’ vision of addressing particular skin concerns through the unique therapeutic and sensuous qualities of its natural ingredients.

Outdoor gear brand Cotopaxi publishes an annual impact report highlighting its contribution toward sustainable and social change. Here’s what shows up as an executive summary in its 2020 report : 

The summary—titled “Overview”—focuses on the brand’s mission and internal principles. It also discusses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and mentions the company has taken steps to support affected stakeholders and teams. This sets the stage for the rest of the report by telling readers that they’ll learn more about Cotopaxi’s new principles and how it’s stepping up to the plate to assist stakeholders in combating the challenges posed by COVID-19.

A good executive summary is all about your strategy

Hopefully by now you have a better idea of how to use an executive summary to your advantage, what to consider when writing one, and how to make sure you’re getting your point across in an effective, concise, and compelling way.

When you can master these elements, you’re well on your way to accomplishing your personal and business goals.

Executive summary FAQ

What is the main purpose of an executive summary.

An executive summary is often written to provide a snapshot of the key elements present in a company’s business plan. It is aimed at individuals who don’t have time to read an entire document or report. When written well, an executive summary can convince readers to place their trust in the company.

When should you write an executive summary?

Although the executive summary is the very first section of your business plan, it should be written last. Writing it before you complete other sections of the document can result in a summary that doesn’t align with your mission and vision. Work on the core body content first, then craft a bullet-point list of all the key parts you can summarize to share with the audience. 

How long should an executive summary be?

The length of your executive summary will depend on the document you’re summarizing and how you plan to use it. For a start, keep your summary at one to four paragraphs, but stay open to extending its length if the need arises. An effective executive summary for a business plan is typically one to two pages long, for instance.

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5 simple ways to 10x results from ChatGPT prompts (say scientists)

Even if you’ve been using ChatGPT for a while, you’re probably making mistakes. Plenty of people to do. Falling into the common pitfalls of prompting , generating content that sounds far too ChatGPT , or ignoring the essential components of the perfect prompt ; even for the smartest entrepreneurs don’t get it right every time. Go back to basics with prompting with these five simple tips, for maximum output in minimal time.

Research paper Plan-and-Solve Prompting: Improving Zero-Shot Chain-of-Thought Reasoning by Large Language Models was created by multiple academics from Singapore Management University and others. As well as specific prompt additions that will create superprompts , the paper shares five simple tips that no one should overlook.

Applying these tips will help large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini tackle multi-step reasoning tasks more effectively, so entrepreneurs can use them more effectively.

ChatGPT tips for better results from prompts: 5 science-backed methods

Tailor prompts for different tasks.

Just as you would instruct different members of your team in different ways, depending on the task at hand, you should customize your prompts to fit different tasks by adjusting the level of detail and specific instructions. You wouldn’t record someone a Loom to discuss a critical and urgent business decision. You wouldn’t call a meeting for a simple accounting question. Apply the same thinking to prompting ChatGPT.

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You don’t need a superprompt for every request. Adjust the prompt to fit the specific business task at hand. Don’t overcomplicate it when you don’t need to. If you want ChatGPT to critique your landing page, for example, include best practice, explain your target audience, ask it to adopt a role and specify the feedback you want. For a simple “find a synonym” task, on the other hand, a one-line instruction might suffice.

Include real-world examples

ChatGPT doesn’t live in the real world. It processes over 300 billion words in its training data to make predictions, and sometimes gets it wrong. Give your enthusiastic AI co star a helping hand. Use real-world business scenarios in your prompts to make the answers more relevant and practical. Help it understand what you’re trying to achieve.

Use real-world business examples to illustrate the problem, so ChatGPT gets the vibe you’re going for, whatever the ask. Include square brackets with the context it needs to know, such as “my business offers [explain your offer] for [explain your audience] and I am facing challenges including [describe them].” Get closer to the perfect response first time.

Break down tasks

You wouldn’t give a human team member a bunch of messy instructions for their week without any context or sense of priority. You wouldn’t request they do everything at once. Apply the same thinking to ChatGPT. Rather than sending a giant prompt with lots of sections and convoluted instructions, go one step at a time. Prompt for the first outcome then take the output and ask for more.

Dividing complex tasks into smaller stages, each with its own instructions and goals, helps ChatGPT manage them better. For example, when asking for a blog post, ask for headline options first, before choosing the best and asking for a summary. Provide your summary edits before asking for section titles, refining those before asking it to write each section. This is superior to asking for a blog post all in one go, and means you have greater control over the output.

Combine human and ChatGPT efforts

Contrary to what AI hype will tell you, ChatGPT cannot solve all your problems. At least not yet. It hallucinates, it exaggerates. It comes out with some random stuff that isn’t client-ready and would do your business more harm than good. Don’t forget the human touch. Use ChatGPT for the initial steps and have humans review and validate the final results. This combines the best of both worlds.

The paper recommends you generate an initial solution and have it reviewed by a human expert. Don’t go from prompt to publish without this step. If you publish ChatGPT-generated content without proper scrutiny, it will harm your brand. Understand the giveaway signs , scrutinize every word, and only include phrases you would actually say. Fact check, sense check and preserve your integrity.

Keep improving

The paper acknowledges that ChatGPT is developing all the time. Even between model numbers, results will be wildly different a few weeks apart. Keep learning as the platform progresses. Read the studies, be hyper critical of the outputs, and continuously refine your prompts based on feedback and performance.

Get the best results from ChatGPT with the same approach you take to business. What once worked like a charm might now be way off the mark. Experiment, learn, iterate, improve. Even try the same prompts with alternative LLMs . Don’t settle for your tried-and-tested prompts; revisit them on a regular basis.

Back to basics with ChatGPT: prompt improvements for better results

By following these simple tips, entrepreneurs can get better results from ChatGPT, especially for complex tasks. Tailor prompts depending on the desired outcome, include real-world examples, break down tasks, combine machines and humans and keep improving. Simple steps that help ChatGPT understand and solve problems more accurately, for smarter decisions and better business outcomes. Stop wasting time with suboptimal prompts. Develop this skill and keep improving. You’re going to need it.

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How to Write a Meeting Summary Email (Examples and Templates)

The importance of a well-written meeting summary email cannot be overstated. Knowing how to summarize a meeting helps in keeping a clear record of key takeaways, action items, and important decisions made during a meeting. Furthermore, meeting attendance is not always guaranteed, making it essential to have a solid recap for those who missed it.

A well-crafted meeting summary email ensures everyone is aligned and aware of their responsibilities. In this blog, we'll explore effective strategies for capturing essential information and presenting it concisely and professionally.

5 Key Points for Writing a Comprehensive Meeting Summary

Creating a comprehensive meeting summary involves several essential steps to ensure all key information is accurately captured and effectively communicated.

Here are some critical points to consider:

(1) Start with Clear and Concise Notes

• Focus on capturing main points, decisions, and action items.
• Use bullet points or numbered lists to organize meeting notes.
• Utilize note-taking tools for consistency and efficiency (e.g., Wudpecker ).

Using tools like Wudpecker can help streamline the process, ensuring your notes are well-organized and easily accessible.

(2) Review and Highlight Key Takeaways

• After the meeting, review detailed meeting notes to identify key takeaways and action items.
• Highlight important decisions.
• Ensure each action item is assigned to a responsible party with a deadline.

(3) Capture Agenda Changes

• Review agenda items and note any decisions made and outcomes achieved.
• Capture any changes to the agenda, such as postponed or added items.

(4) Include Meeting Moments

• Note any noteworthy quotes or anecdotes that illustrate key points or decisions.
• Include significant statements or insights shared by participants to engage the reader.

(5) Use Clear and Concise Language

• Write the recap in clear and concise language.
• Maintain a neutral tone.
• Avoid jargon or overly technical terms to ensure accessibility.

Best Practice for Meeting Summary and Email Communication

Your audience will thank you for a summary that's easy on the eyes and light on jargon. That way they'll be more likely to fully read it.

Let's dive into a quick example to illustrate this.

Example of a Summary with Bad Readability

‍ "Utilizing our proclivity for intricate methodologies, our team conducted an extensive exploration into the viability of project X.

We've collected an abundance of pertinent data, analyzed via an array of multifaceted algorithms, which have, subsequently, elucidated the paramount trajectories we ought to pursue moving forward."

Example of a Summary with Good Readability

‍ "Our team researched the feasibility of project X. We gathered important data and, after thorough analysis, identified the best directions to take in the future."

Opt for clear, concise sentences, and with short paragraphs.

And a word to the wise?

Technical language might showcase expertise, but it can alienate some readers. Finally, never underestimate the power of editing and proofreading.

How to Write a Meeting Summary Email After a Meeting

Perfecting the technique of crafting a follow up email after a meeting is essential to guarantee alignment and clarity of duties.

Below is a comprehensive six-step guide to help you craft a compelling meeting follow up email.

(1) Craft a Clear Subject Line

Ensure your follow up email stands out in the recipient's inbox with a clear and specific subject line. Avoid being vague and make what the email is about obvious.

• [Project Name] Next Steps - Deadline [Date]
• What's Next for [Project Name/Team Name]
• Presentation and Resources from Today's Meeting

(2) Thank People for Their Time and Effort

Start your email by expressing gratitude for your colleagues' time and effort. Acknowledging their contribution sets a positive tone and shows professionalism.

Example: "Thank you all for taking the time to discuss [meeting topic] today. I appreciate your insights and contributions."

(3) Summarize Key Points Covered During the Meeting

Keep your summary concise and to the point. Tailor the length and detail of your summary to the nature of the meeting.

Example: "Here are the key points we discussed:

• [Key Point #1]
• [Key Point #2]
• [Key Point #3]"

(4) Outline Action Items, Deadlines, and Next Steps

Highlight the tasks that need to be completed, who is responsible, and the deadlines. Use a bulleted list to increase clarity and ensure everyone understands their responsibilities.

Example: "Action Items:

• [Task #1] - [Owner] to complete by [Date]
• [Task #2] - [Owner] to complete by [Date]
• [Task #3] - [Owner] to complete by [Date]"

(5) Attach or Link to Relevant Resources and Documents

Include any important documents, presentations, or videos mentioned during the meeting. Ensure that these resources are easily accessible for future reference.

Example: "For reference, please see the attached documents:

• Document #1: [Brief Description]
• Document #2: [Brief Description]"

(6) Invite People to Ask Questions or Reconvene

Encourage your colleagues to ask questions or schedule another meeting if needed. This ensures continuous communication and addresses any uncertainties.

Example: "Feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns. We'll plan to meet again in [timeframe], but please don't hesitate to contact me in the meantime."

Automate Meeting Summary Emails With Wudpecker

While developing muscle memory for writing meeting summaries is a beneficial practice, why not save time by automating this task? Wudpecker does just that .

It lets you fully focus on the conversation and building connections.

Here's how to streamline sending out meeting summary emails with Wudpecker.

First of all, use it to record your meetings. Here's how:

Step 1 : Open the call you want to summarize on your Wudpecker account.

Step 2 : Ask Wudpecker to write the email according to your own template or the example templates in this blog. You can start the prompt with a sentence such as "Write a summary email based on this call. Fill in information in this template." After that, simply paste the template of your choice.

Step 3 : Press the Copy button

Step 4 : Go to your email and paste the summary there. Double check the draft, and if necessary, tweak some text manually.

Step 5 (optional) : In the email draft, add a link of the full Wudpecker notes. It also comes with an audio file and transcript. You can copy the link directly from your browser's URL bar or on Wudpecker, by first clicking Share at the top and then the copy link (🔗) button.

Meeting Summary Email Templates

Here are the three meeting summary templates tailored to different situations. These templates provide a structured format for summarizing key discussions, decisions, and action items from a meeting.

Feel free to customize these templates to fit specific meeting needs.

Meeting Summary Template 1: Action Items

Subject : Action Items: Meeting Summary - [Meeting Title] Held on [Date]

Following our productive meeting on [Date] to discuss [Meeting Topic], I'd like to share a concise summary to ensure clear communication and alignment.

Meeting Objective: [State the primary goal of the meeting in a clear and concise sentence.]

Key Discussions & Decisions: [Bullet points outlining the most important points covered and any decisions made]

Action Items: To ensure continued progress, please note the following action items:

[@Team Member Name]:  Complete [Action Item/items] by [Due Date]. This will [Explain the impact of completing one/multiple tasks by this team member mentioning the exact due dates for each task].

Resources (Optional): For further reference, you can access the meeting transcript [link] and any shared documents [link].

Thank you for your valuable participation and contributions during the meeting. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or require further clarification on your assigned tasks.

Best regards,

[Your Name]

Meeting Summary Template 2: Meeting Minutes

Meeting Date:  [Date]

Meeting Duration:  [Duration]

Meeting Purpose:  [Purpose]

Attendees: [Name 1][Name 2][Name 3]...

Agenda Review:  

We started the meeting by reviewing the agenda, which included discussing [Topic 1], [Topic 2], and [Topic 3].

Main Discussion Points:

[Topic 1]:  We discussed…

[Topic 2]:  We discussed….

[Topic 3]:  We discussed…

Decisions Made:

We decided to…

Action Items:

• [NAME] needs to complete [TASK] by [DATE]

Attachments:

[Attach relevant files or documents here]

Next Meeting:  Our next meeting is scheduled for [DATE] at [TIME]. Please review the action items and come prepared to discuss progress.

Creating an effective meeting summary email is essential for clear communication and project alignment. Use clear subject lines, express gratitude, summarize key points, highlight action items with deadlines, and include relevant resources. Tailor your email to fit the context and audience.

Wudpecker simplifies this process by automating the email composition with the help of its Ask Wudpecker feature, allowing you to focus on the conversation and building connections. Simply follow the mentioned steps: ask Wudpecker to draft the email, copy the response, finish it in your email, and share it with the necessary participants.

Perfecting meeting summaries ensures accountability, drives future actions, and keeps everyone informed, enhancing productivity and supporting project success.

What Is the Difference Between a Meeting Recap and Meeting Minutes?

While both meeting recaps and meeting minutes document what occurred during a meeting, they differ in detail, purpose, and format.

Meeting Recap : A meeting recap concisely summarizes key points, decisions, and action items. It aims to ensure all participants are aligned and understand their responsibilities.

Typically, a recap includes an overview of the meeting's purpose, a summary of main discussions, and a list of action items with assigned responsibilities and deadlines. It is usually written in a narrative style or bullet points and is best for informal meetings or quick updates.

Meeting Minutes : Meeting minutes provide a detailed and official record of the entire meeting. They document discussions, decisions, and actions comprehensively for formal reference so that everyone remains in the same page.

Minutes include a detailed agenda, a list of meeting participants, a record of discussions, specific decisions, and detailed action items. They are written in a structured, chronological format and are best for formal meetings requiring detailed documentation.

Who Typically Sends Recap Emails?

Recap emails are usually sent by the meeting organizer, team leader, project manager, designated note-taker, or administrative assistant. These individuals ensure that all key points, decisions, and action items are clearly communicated to attendees.

Increasingly, AI tools are also used to automate this task, providing accurate and timely summaries.

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How to Write a Beginner Resume Summary with No Experience [Examples]

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When you’re diving into the job market with limited experience, writing a strong resume is key to landing your dream job. A well-written resume starts with a resume summary —the elevator pitch that shows the reader your greatest accomplishments, skills, and passions. A beginner summary for your resume is the starting point to wow-ing the hiring team and proving you’re the best candidate for the job.

An entry-level or beginner resume isn’t about listing everything you’ve accomplished or can do. Instead, it’s a strategic dance of weaving together your enthusiasm, soft skills, and unique experience. Then, you connect it to the job description and what the hiring manager is looking for.

• What a resume summary is.
• The critical components of a resume summary.
• Step-by-step instructions on how to write an entry-level or beginner summary for resumes.
• Examples and templates of successful resume summaries.

Understanding the resume summary for beginners

Your resume summary is a snapshot of your professional life—only 3 to 5 sentences—curated with each job description in mind. Job seekers include their professional title, years of experience, skills , and measurable achievements to entice the recruiter to read the rest of the resume.

As you navigate the job search, you’ll see how your resume summary is one of the most valuable sections of your resume.

What is an entry-level resume summary?

When you’re an entry-level applicant, the snapshot summary likely isn’t full of accolades, impactful accomplishments, or advanced skills. Rather, an effective resume summary for a beginning job seeker highlights an eagerness to learn, adaptability, and growth potential.

For entry-level applicants, “It’s not just about bullet points and job titles; it’s about weaving together the threads of your journey, painting a picture of resilience, ambition, and growth,” says Harleny Vasquez , a visionary Career Coach and CEO of yourEVOLVEDmind. “It’s a chance to showcase not just what you’ve done, but who you are and where you’re headed. Each section is a story, each accomplishment a milestone on the path you’ve forged with passion and purpose.”

The purpose of an entry-level summary

A professional summary is the attention-grabbing highlight reel. A successful summary keeps the hiring team reading your resume to learn more about you. In a hot job market where standing out is critical, resume summaries can be a positive differentiator.

Resume summaries provide key context to your resume. It helps the hiring manager frame your candidacy in their mind—they learn why you’re applying, how your skill set translates to the job, and key accomplishments that show you off in the best light. Many other applicants are jumping from the resume headline into the work experience, losing out on the opportunity to capture the hiring team right away.

Want to see examples of resume summaries for any stage of your career? Read 86+ Resume Summary Examples to Inspire You

Resume summary vs. objective

Resume summary and resume objective are often used interchangeably, but the two are very different. They serve different purposes and are used to convey different types of information.

Resume objective

A resume objective states your career goals and the type of position you are seeking. It is forward-looking and focuses on what you want to achieve in your career.

Primarily, it includes your career aspirations and what you aim to contribute to the employer.

For example, a resume objective could say something like:

Seeking a position as a Marketing Coordinator to utilize my skills in digital marketing and content creation in a dynamic, growth-oriented company.

Recruiters and career coaches argue against the resume objective because it’s more focused on the applicant, rather than the company you’re applying to.

Kelli Hrivnak , Founder of the boutique recruitment firm, Knack Digital shares, “I never like to see a resume objective on a resume. An employer is seeking an employee who will solve their problem, as opposed to prioritizing the wants and needs of the applicant.”

Jazlyn Unbedacht , Resume Writer and LinkedIn Optimizer argues we should just get rid of resume objectives altogether. “I’m not sure why they ever were a thing to begin with. Harness expertise from other experiences in your life, like education, volunteer work, hobby pursuits, and more and use that to create a short summary of what you can bring to the table as an employee.”

Resume summary

A resume summary provides a brief overview of your professional background, highlighting your key achievements and skills. It is backward-looking, summarizing what you have already accomplished in your career.

The short paragraph includes your key qualifications, experience, and major achievements. A summary is designed to quickly give employers an idea of your expertise and the value you can bring to their organization.

Many entry-level applicants and those writing beginner summaries for their resumes tend to default to objectives. They worry they have nothing impressive to highlight in their summary.

But Kelli Hrivnak urges you to think outside the box. “For job seekers who don’t have relevant work experience, can you include other experience or skills acquired in your project work instead?”

For example, Kelli suggests writing something like:

Google-certified Marketing graduate with 4 months of experience as an Audience Development intern at a nationally recognized publication firm. Grew audience engagement on Facebook by 30% by developing social strategy and initiatives.

Key pieces of a beginner resume summary

Think of your resume summary like a formula. Just like a math equation has values that you need to solve the problem, your resume summary has critical components that make it impactful to the hiring team.

Follow the formula below to write a standout summary:

Versatile [Your Professional Title] with over [X Years] of experience in [Field/Role]. Skilled in [Skill 1], [Skill 2], and [Skill 3]. Proven success in [Measurable Accomplishment 1] and [Measurable Accomplishment 2].

Tailor your resume summary

You can’t write your resume summary once and use it for every application. Your resume—including the summary—should be tailored to each job description.

To tailor your resume summary, you should read the job description closely and pick out keywords and skills to integrate into your resume. This process can take a few hours per job posting, but you can do it quickly with Jobscan’s resume optimization tools.

If you don’t have a resume and are starting from scratch, the Resume Builder tool can help you create a base resume, then you can move directly into Power Edit to tailor your resume to the job description.

Quantify your achievements

Numbers and percentages showing time or money saved, revenue generated, or team members managed can show the hiring team how you help an organization thrive, rather than telling them what you’ve done.

For example, you can write:

Boosted sales by 30% through innovative product displays and promotions, and successfully managed inventory turnover, reducing excess stock by 20%.

Use Power Words and Action Verbs

Boring word choices make it easy for the hiring team to gloss over your resume. Inspire emotion and paint a picture with the words you use. Ditch common resume words and use more powerful words instead.

Discover the best power words and action verbs to integrate into your resume: 500 Action Verbs to Use on Your Resume Today

Step-by-step guide to writing an entry-level resume summary

Even if you know the resume summary formula, how can you ensure you’re making a successful impact on the hiring team? There are a handful of steps you can follow to knock your resume summary out of the park every time.

Step 1: Do a self-assessment

Before you write your resume summary, you first have to have a firm understanding of your strengths, skill set, and achievements. Take time to think about a few dimensions of your professional journey.

Using education in your resume summary

Consider your degrees or certifications and any projects and coursework. If you’re short on hands-on experience, using experience from school or other learning can show off your experience and professional growth.

Draw on untraditional experience for your resume summary

When you’re writing a beginner summary for your resume, your experience is limited. But you can draw on volunteer work, part-time jobs, clubs, or even hobbies to link to skills the hiring manager is looking for.

Highlight your transferable skills in your summary

At the start of your career, highlight your transferable skills —or soft skills . These skills are interpersonal skills or behavioral traits you bring to every workplace. Unlike hard skills —job-specific technical skills—transferable skills are difficult to measure, but they’re still incredibly valuable at work.

Add metrics to your resume summary

Numbers and figures show concrete impact and quantify your contributions to an organization. You can use time-based metrics, efficiency metrics, growth comparisons, and more. If you’re a new grad or entering employment for the first time, draw on your other experiences of clubs, school, or volunteering to make an impact.

Increased readership by 15% during tenure as Editor-in-Chief of university magazine.

For more insights about adding metrics to your resume, read 67 Resume Accomplishments Examples to Show Your Value

Step 2: Conduct your research

To create an effectively optimized resume, you need to conduct research about the role, company, and industry.

• Dive deep into the job description : The job description always has insights into the responsibilities and qualities of the role. Often, there are details about the company’s values.
• Add the right keywords: By integrating keywords in your resume summary tailored to the company’s mission and values, you can make a powerful impression on the hiring team.
• Familiarize yourself with industry keywords, skills, and tools : Stay up to date on evolving trends and tools in your field to position yourself as the strongest candidate.

Power Edit features AI technology that not only scans your resume for keywords and skills, but provides ideas you can use to integrate them into your resume seamlessly.

Step 3: Draft your entry-level resume summary

Writing your beginner resume summary for an entry-level role can feel daunting, but you have more to offer an employer beyond traditional work experience. Think beyond your past roles and draw on other experiences to show off your value as a candidate.

Remember, you can use the following template to guide your writing:

Start with a strong introduction sentence

The first sentence needs to capture attention, so choose strong power verbs and open with the information you need the hiring manager to know.

Some examples of powerful resume summary openers include:

Recent graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from XYZ University, where I maintained a 3.8 GPA. Proven leadership skills as the President of the Business Club, organizing events attended by over 200 students. Passionate about project management, I completed a capstone project that improved campus event efficiency by 25%. Seeking an entry-level role in business operations.

Enthusiastic computer science graduate with hands-on experience in developing mobile apps as a hobby, resulting in over 10,000 downloads on the Google Play Store. Skilled in Java, Python, and Swift, with a keen interest in UI/UX design. Looking to leverage my self-taught programming skills and creativity in an entry-level software development position.

Dedicated environmental science graduate with a strong background in community service, having volunteered over 300 hours with the Green Earth Initiative. Led a tree-planting campaign that resulted in 1,000 new trees being planted in urban areas. Highly organized and committed to sustainability, seeking to start a career in environmental consulting.

Diligent Marketing graduate with over two years of part-time retail experience at ABC Store, where I consistently exceeded sales targets by 15%. Recognized for excellent customer service and awarded ‘Employee of the Month’ twice. Eager to apply my sales and marketing skills in an entry-level marketing role.

Versatile communications graduate with a strong foundation in public speaking and writing, honed through coursework and as a volunteer tutor at the local literacy center. Part-time experience as a social media coordinator, where I increased engagement by 40% across platforms. Adept at content creation and community engagement, seeking a role in public relations.

Recent graduate with a Bachelor’s in Kinesiology, combining academic excellence with leadership as the captain of the university soccer team. Coordinated training schedules and team-building activities, leading to a 30% improvement in team performance. Passionate about health and fitness, aiming to start a career in sports management.

Ambitious psychology graduate with hands-on research experience, having assisted in a faculty-led study on cognitive behavior that was published in a peer-reviewed journal. Strong analytical and statistical skills, with proficiency in SPSS. Seeking an entry-level research assistant role to further develop my expertise in psychological research.

Integrate keywords from the job description

A keyword-rich resume summary boosts your chances of showing up in ATS search results. The ATS , or applicant tracking system, houses every submitted resume for a job listing. When the hiring team looks for candidates to interview, the ATS helps them rank applicants based on keywords and skills from the job description.

“A professional summary is an amazing resource to optimize your resume with keywords and catch an employer’s attention,” claims Professional Resume Writer, Jazlyn Unbedacht .

Jobscan’s Power Edit can find keywords in the job description and help you find places to naturally integrate keywords. Below you can find an example of a keyword-rich resume summary example for inspiration.

Creative marketing graduate with strong skills in social media management and content creation . Successfully managed a university campaign that boosted social media engagement by 30%. Proficient in Adobe Creative Suite and familiar with SEO strategies . Seeking an entry-level marketing position to leverage creativity and analytical skills to support brand growth.

Avoid keyword stuffing. Adding keywords for the sake of having them can have a negative impact. If your summary isn’t authentic or personal and feels forced, your summary can be difficult to read. Strike a balance by finding other resume sections to integrate keywords.

Highlight your strengths

Your resume summary is the ideal place to humbly brag about your accomplishments . Stay honest and avoid embellishing, but put your best foot forward to make it impossible for the hiring manager not to invite you for an interview.

For example, include projects, assignments, or internships to make your beginner resume summary shine.

Natural leader and recent graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in Management, achieving a 3.8 GPA. Led a student project team to complete a market analysis that was presented to local businesses, resulting in increased partnerships. Proficient in project management and team coordination. Seeking an entry-level management position to apply leadership and strategic planning skills to contribute to organizational success.

Use a resume summary generator

Include a resume summary, even when you have writer’s block. The resume summary generator in premium Power Edit can write the perfect resume summary, using content from your resume and keywords from the job description.

Here’s how it works.

If you don’t have a resume summary, you can go into the Editor and click “Generate Summary.” Using AI, the tool will write a customized resume summary highlighting all your key skills and accomplishments for the job. The AI draws on your education, skills, work experience, and certifications to create a tailored resume summary in seconds.

You can use the generated summary, or rephrase the summary until you find the variation you like best.

By the end, you’ll have an optimized resume to impress the hiring team and boost your chances of getting an interview invite.

Generate your resume summary in seconds with Power Edit and create a perfectly tailored resume for each job application.

Beginner summary for resume: Examples

Resume summary based on education

Recent high school graduate with a 3.8 GPA and a passion for technology. Completed a capstone project in computer science, developing an app that improved classroom attendance tracking by 20%. Seeking to apply technical skills and problem-solving abilities in a software development role.

Resume summaries based on volunteering

Enthusiastic volunteer with over 150 hours dedicated to community service at local food banks and shelters. Organized weekly meal distributions, aiding over 500 families. Passionate about social work and eager to contribute to a supportive team environment.

Multilingual individual fluent in English, Spanish, and French, with experience volunteering as a translator at community events. Assisted over 100 individuals in accessing services. Seeking to leverage language skills in a customer service or administrative role.

Community-focused graduate with a 3.9 GPA and extensive volunteer experience at local non-profits. Organized community clean-up events, improving local park conditions by 15%. Eager to bring organizational and community engagement skills to a professional setting.

Resume summaries based on certifications

Certified in Basic First Aid and CPR, with hands-on experience from part-time babysitting jobs. Known for reliability and excellent communication with parents. Managed schedules and provided educational activities for children, seeking to bring caregiving skills to a full-time position.

Certified in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript through online courses. Developed a personal website showcasing photography projects, increasing online portfolio traffic by 40%. Seeking to apply web development skills in a tech-related role.

Resume summary focused on extracurricular activities

Team-oriented individual with leadership experience as captain of the high school soccer team. Led the team to two state championships and organized weekly training sessions. Seeking to leverage leadership and teamwork skills in a dynamic work environment.

Learn how to incorporate extracurricular activities into your resume and read: Top Extracurricular Activities to Add to Your Resume (Samples)

Resume summary based on a mix of experience

Motivated recent graduate with a 4.0 GPA and a strong foundation in customer service from part-time work at a retail store. Volunteered at local animal shelter, managing 2 adoption events per month, increasing adoption rate by 15%. Eager to apply multitasking abilities and customer service skills to a professional role.

Resume summaries based on creative projects

Creative content creator with experience in managing a personal blog, growing its readership to 1,000 monthly visitors. Developed strong writing and content creation skills. Seeking to bring creativity and attention to detail to a marketing or content creation role.

Artistic graduate with experience in graphic design, having completed online courses in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. Designed promotional materials for school events, increasing attendance by 25%. Excited to bring artistic skills to a design or marketing team.

Resume summary based on sports activities

Dedicated and disciplined athlete with experience in competitive swimming. Managed rigorous training schedules while maintaining a 3.8 GPA. Developed time management and resilience, aiming to apply these skills in a professional setting.

Resume summaries based on academics

Recent graduate with honors in Mathematics, achieving top marks in advanced calculus and statistics courses. Participated in math competitions, placing in the top 10 regionally. Seeking to apply analytical and quantitative skills in a data analysis role.

STEM enthusiast with a strong academic background in physics and chemistry. Completed a science fair project on renewable energy, earning first place at the district level. Seeking to apply analytical and research skills in a scientific or engineering role.

Resume summary based on part-time work

Passionate about fitness and health, with part-time experience as a gym assistant. Assisted with client schedules and maintained equipment, enhancing customer satisfaction survey results to a 4.7 star average rating. Looking to bring organizational skills and passion for health to a fitness-related role.

Resume summary based on leadership in clubs

Active member of the debate club with strong public speaking and research skills. Led the team to win regional championships and mentored new members. Looking to utilize leadership and communication skills in a challenging work environment.

A summary statement for a resume is a brief introduction that highlights your key skills, experiences, and what you aim to achieve in your career. For a beginner, this statement should focus on your education, any relevant skills, internships, volunteer work, and a clear career goal. It provides a snapshot of who you are and what you bring to the table, making it easier for hiring managers to quickly see your potential. Example: “Recent Marketing graduate with a strong foundation in social media management, content creation, and data analysis. Proven ability to increase engagement and brand visibility through innovative strategies, increasing social media followers by 30% in six months. Seeking to leverage skills and knowledge to contribute to a dynamic marketing team.”

The beginning of your resume summary should immediately grab the reader’s attention. Start with a strong descriptor followed by your job title, relevant experience, or education. Mention a few key skills or achievements that align with the job you’re applying for. Example: “Highly motivated and results-oriented Computer Science graduate with hands-on experience in software development and database management. Skilled in Java, Python, and SQL, with a passion for developing efficient and scalable solutions. Developed a web application that improved process efficiency by 25%.”

A good resume profile summary is concise, focused, and tailored to the job description. It should clearly state your professional identity, highlight your key strengths and achievements, and convey your career aspirations. Use action words and quantify achievements whenever possible to make a stronger impact. Example: “Certified Project Manager with over 5 years of experience in leading cross-functional teams to deliver complex projects on time and within budget. Expert in Agile methodologies, risk management, and process optimization. Successfully managed a project portfolio worth $2 million, achieving a 95% on-time delivery rate.”

Introducing yourself in a resume summary involves providing a brief yet comprehensive overview of who you are professionally. Start with your current role or recent educational achievement, followed by your most relevant skills and a statement of your career goals. Example: “Enthusiastic and creative Graphic Designer with a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts and 2 years of experience in creating visually compelling digital and print media. Proficient in Adobe Creative Suite, with a keen eye for detail and a strong commitment to delivering high-quality work. Designed marketing materials that boosted client sales by 15%. Looking to contribute my design expertise to a forward-thinking company.”

Kelsey is a Content Writer with a background in content creation, bouncing between industries to educate readers everywhere.

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4 takeaways from the first presidential debate

Domenico Montanaro

President Biden and former President Donald Trump participate in the first presidential debate of the 2024 elections at CNN's studios in Atlanta on June 27. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

If some people who listened to the radio in 1960 thought Richard Nixon won the presidential debate with John F. Kennedy, then maybe people reading the transcript of Thursday night’s match-up would think President Biden won.

But elections aren’t won in transcripts. The reality is, fairly or not, debates are often about optics — how the candidates present themselves, defend their records and parry attacks.

Fact check: What did Biden and Trump claim about immigration in the debate?

And that’s why so many Democrats are ringing the fire alarms after the first general-election presidential debate of 2024. The Biden campaign said the president had a cold to explain why he sounded so hoarse and weak. But Biden’s stumbles right from the beginning played into his biggest vulnerability — his age and whether the 81-year-old is up to the challenge of handling four more years in office.

There were issues for Trump, too, as he continued to spread falsehoods and bathe in the kinds of conspiratorial grievances that have turned off many voters.

Not much has changed the dynamics of this race; will anything that happened Thursday night make a difference either?

Here are four takeaways from the first Biden-Trump debate of this campaign:

1. First and foremost, let’s talk about the elephant in the room – Democrats have to be wondering if they’d be better off with someone else as their nominee.

Neither candidate is the official nominee yet. The national political conventions haven’t happened — but it’s next to impossible that Democrats would replace Biden.

Still, given he delivered the kind of performance Democrats feared, party leaders, strategists and many voters, frankly, had to be wondering during this debate what it would be like if any of a handful of other Democrats were standing on that stage.

Biden got a bit stronger as the debate went on, especially on foreign policy. He had some one-liners, like calling Trump a “whiner” when Trump wouldn’t definitively say that he would accept the results of the 2024 election. But Biden often wasn’t able to show vigor or consistently convey what he wanted to say. He simply couldn’t deliver the kinds of happy-warrior blows with that toothy smile audiences have seen from Biden in years past.

“Sometimes the spin don’t spin,” one Democratic strategist texted midway through the debate when asked for reaction.

2. If how Biden sounded wasn’t bad enough, the visuals might have been equally as bad.

An important rule of thumb for candidates — and moderators — in debates is to be conscious of how things look, of how you look, of what people are seeing at home. And what people saw — and this was predictable — was a split screen.

What to know about the key policies that got airtime in the presidential debate

Biden wasn’t able to use that to his advantage at all, even as Trump doled out falsehood after falsehood. Instead, he looked genuinely shocked and confused, which is never a good look.

Trump and his base might not care about late-night comedy, but this week’s monologues are going to sting Democratic voters.

3. The format — and hands-off moderators — benefited Trump.

The muting of the candidates was likely intended to make the debate calmer and not allow Trump to run roughshod over the moderators or his opponent. But it had the effect of making Trump seem more sedate than usual.

Trump employed rounds of verbal jujitsu, in which he threw back his own vulnerabilities and directed them toward Biden. He was even able at one point, during a strange exchange about golf handicaps, to say, “Let’s not act like children.”

The moderation, or lack thereof, also allowed Trump to spread falsehoods and hyperbole without being interrupted or corrected. CNN indicated before the debate that the moderators were not going to play a strong role in fact checking the candidates, and they lived up to that.

They left it to the candidates, essentially, and with Biden unable to deliver in real time and the moderators declining to, the audience was left with a salad bowl full of rotten eggs and moldy lettuce that passed for facts.

4. This debate might not move the needle much, if at all.

Despite Biden’s struggles, which will understandably get the headlines, Trump had some difficult moments, too, especially in the second half of the debate.

In addition to spreading myriad falsehoods, he did little to credibly defend his conduct on and before the Jan. 6 siege on the Capitol; he used the kind of hyperbolic and vituperative language that has long turned off swing voters; and showed why many are concerned about some of his positions on the issues, especially on abortion and how the U.S. should be represented on the world stage.

So despite Biden’s shortcomings, millions will still likely vote for Biden, anyway, because he’s not Trump.

The bottom line is: Americans have said they are unhappy with their choices, and, in this – the biggest moment of the 2024 presidential campaign yet — it was clear why.

Correction June 28, 2024

A previous version of this story referenced this week's live SNL episode but in fact the show is on its summer hiatus.

Project Proposal template

A clear and effective project proposal template aligns with strategic planning initiatives, enhances team collaboration , and streamlines project planning and management efforts. 

Create a project proposal in Confluence for free

What is a project proposal template?

A project proposal template provides consistent structure and clear guidelines for those submitting a project for consideration. Utilizing a template can help you and your colleagues capture, present, organize, and collaborate on project proposals more efficiently. 

An effective project proposal template benefits individual projects and streamlines project proposal, assessment, selection, management, and execution processes across your company.

Benefits of using a project proposal template

Consistent execution of efficient, effective processes helps drive agility and success. This is especially true for processes that support project ideation and proposal. A project proposal template can deliver multiple process-improving benefits to project management . 

Promotes consistency

A project proposal template ensures uniformity across all project proposals. Greater uniformity and consistency among proposed projects can improve the decision-making process and align with your team’s strategic planning framework .

A well-designed project proposal template helps teams communicate their project ideas clearly and concisely. It also guides them through including essential information, such as objectives, scope, timeline, and budget. 

Enhances professionalism

An effective template can give each project proposal a more polished and professional appearance. This enhances the credibility of your proposals and boosts your reputation.

Facilitates collaboration

A project proposal template provides your project team and stakeholders with a common starting point for project collaboration . A shared understanding of each project’s structure and objectives can help team members collaborate more effectively. It also improves communication with stakeholders and helps manage their expectations.

Allows customization

A well-designed project proposal template combines consistent guidance and structure with support for customization. A tailored template makes it easier to address the unique needs of different projects while keeping a consistent proposal structure.

Use Confluence to create a project proposal

Confluence provides the features and tools to create and manage project proposals, helping you move projects forward. Teams can collaboratively create, edit, and share project plans in a connected workspace that gets and keeps everyone on the same page and aligned with business needs and goals. 

Confluence whiteboards bring the collaborative benefits of in-person brainstorming to connected digital environments. Confluence pages support multiple content types. Project team members can add, share, and comment upon content elements of almost any type. Teammates can organize and present information as they see fit. 

Use Confluence to create a template and share effective project proposals easily. Make a project proposal in Confluence for free to see how it can improve project management at your company.

How to use a project proposal template

Write an executive summary.

Provide a clear, concise overview of the project for stakeholders. Highlight the objectives, scope, and benefits.

Explain the project background

Detail the reasons behind the project. Focus on the project’s relevance to your business goals. Mention any previous work or research that can provide context for the project.

Offer a solution

Present the proposed solution or approach that addresses the project's objectives and challenges. Emphasize the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed solution.

Define the deliverables

Outline the specific outcomes or products expected from the project. Include details of timelines and acceptance criteria. Clearly defining the deliverables is crucial to setting clear and reasonable expectations among project team members and other stakeholders.

Identify required resources

List all the resources needed to execute the project successfully. Include details about the people, budget, and materials the project requires. Doing so helps demonstrate thorough planning and careful resource management for each proposed project.

Conclude the proposal

Summarize the key points covered in the proposal. Reiterate the project's value proposition to your business. Explicitly and enthusiastically invite stakeholders to support and approve the proposal. Include any steps stakeholders must take to express their support and approval or ask questions about the project.

Related templates

Project plan.

Atlassian’s project plan template helps users organize project logistics in advance, defining roles, objectives, scope, milestones, and reference materials for effective project management.

Capacity planning

A capacity planning template helps project managers allocate resources accurately for each project. 

Project poster

A project poster template helps everyone understand the business case for each project.

Ready to create a project proposal?

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Here’s What the Court’s Chevron Ruling Could Mean in Everyday Terms

The decision is expected to prompt a rush of litigation challenging regulations across the entire federal government, from food safety to the environment.

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By Coral Davenport ,  Christina Jewett ,  Alan Rappeport ,  Margot Sanger-Katz ,  Noam Scheiber and Noah Weiland

• June 28, 2024

The Supreme Court’s decision on Friday to limit the broad regulatory authority of federal agencies could lead to the elimination or weakening of thousands of rules on the environment, health care, worker protection, food and drug safety, telecommunications, the financial sector and more.

The decision is a major victory in a decades-long campaign by conservative activists to shrink the power of the federal government, limiting the reach and authority of what those activists call “the administrative state.”

The court’s opinion could make it easier for opponents of federal regulations to challenge them in court, prompting a rush of new litigation, while also injecting uncertainty into businesses and industries.

“If Americans are worried about their drinking water, their health, their retirement account, discrimination on the job, if they fly on a plane, drive a car, if they go outside and breathe the air — all of these day-to-day activities are run through a massive universe of federal agency regulations,” said Lisa Heinzerling, an expert in administrative law at Georgetown University. “And this decision now means that more of those regulations could be struck down by the courts.”

The decision effectively ends a legal precedent known as “Chevron deference,” after a 1984 Supreme Court ruling. That decision held that when Congress passes a law that lacks specificity, courts must give wide leeway to decisions made by the federal agencies charged with implementing that law. The theory was that scientists, economists and other specialists at the agencies have more expertise than judges in determining regulations and that the executive branch is also more accountable to voters.

Since then, thousands of legal decisions have relied on the Chevron doctrine when challenges have been made to regulations stemming from laws like the 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act, the 1970 Clean Air Act , the 2010 Affordable Care Act and others.

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